Thetis Deep Research Articles

Birth of an ocean in the Red Sea: Oceanic-type basaltic melt intrusions precede continental rupture

The role of magmatism in continental rupture at the birth of a new ocean is poorly understood. Continental rupture can take place with voluminous volcanism, as in the southern Red Sea, or in a relatively non-volcanic mode, as in the northern Red Sea. We report geophysical, geochemical and geochronological evidence suggesting that continental rupture in the northern Red Sea is preceded by MORB-type basaltic melt intrusions that cooled at depth forming gabbros at progressively shallower crustal levels as rifting progressed towards continental separation. One of these gabbros yielded an 40Ar/39Ar age of 25±6Ma, suggesting intrusion during early rifting. A magma chamber we detected 3.5km below Thetis Deep, an axial segment of initial oceanic crust accretion, represents the final stage in this progression. Oceanic crust accretion in the Red Sea rift starts first at depth before continental rupture and initiation of sea floor spreading.

Nature of crust in the central Red Sea

A transition between continental crust in the northern Red Sea and oceanic crust in the southern Red Sea coincides broadly with a southward increase in plate tectonic separation rate and with a decrease in upper mantle seismic velocity. We re-evaluate here the nature of crust in the intervening central Red Sea with the results of legacy seismic refraction experiments and recently released marine gravity anomalies derived from satellite altimeter measurements. In the refraction data, collected east of Thetis Deep, velocities of 6.6–6.9kms−1 of a deep refracting layer, which are similar to measured velocities of unaltered gabbro samples, extend outside the deep to 65km from the axis. The new version of the marine gravity field reveals trends crossing the central Red Sea. Whereas some of them connect with major lineaments in the surrounding African-Arabian shield, those around Thetis Deep die out towards the coastlines. They can be paired across the ridge and lie slightly oblique to plate motions, as is typical of oceanic fracture zones or non-transform discontinuities migrating away from hotspots. Taken together these observations support the view that an oceanic rather than extended continental crust underlies this part of the central Red Sea.The crestal mountains around the median valleys of slow-spreading ridges are typically 500–1000m lower at spreading discontinuities. Around Thetis Deep, the similar pattern in the gravity field to those of slow-spreading ridges suggests that the crestal mountains may variably block or impede flowage of evaporites towards the spreading centre, whereas the discontinuities may mark areas where flowage is unobstructed. Limited multibeam data collected in transits outside Thetis Deep show oblique fabrics as expected from these predicted movements.

Reply to the comment of Mitchell et al. (2010) on “Formation of Thetis Deep metal-rich sediments in the absence of brines, Red Sea” by Pierret et al. (2010)

Reply to the comment of Mitchell et al. (2010) on “Formation of Thetis Deep metal-rich sediments in the absence of brines, Red Sea” by Pierret et al. (2010)

Submarine salt flows in the central Red Sea

The central Red Sea, an oceanic basin floored by Miocene evaporites reaching kilome ters in thickness in places, is at an early stage of development, where seafl oor spreading has geologically only recently replaced continental rifting. Surveys using a high-resolution multibeam echo sounder around Thetis Deep, a new spreading center, have revealed a remarkable series of structures resembling viscous gravity fl ows, which are here interpreted as originating from fl owage of the evaporites laterally unloaded by axial rifting and other processes developing the relief of the deep. The fl ow margins are marked by stream-wise lineaments and some apparently rotated markers . Their fronts in the fl oor of the deep are rounded in plan view and profi le. Their surfaces contain small, closely spaced features resembling extensional faults. In one area below declining gradients, the surface contains along-slope ridges and valleys typical of compression folds (ogives). Flowparallel lineaments and extensional faults lie, respectively, parallel and orthogonal to the direction of maximum seabed gradient. Movement is apparently heterogeneous, at least in part because of varied blocking by relief in underlying basement observed protruding between fl ows. Flowage is currently transporting materials into the fl oor of the deep where they have the potential to become incorporated into the young oceanic crust by repeated eruption of axial lavas over them. In the light of these new data, we reexamine the possibility and implications of fl owage in the South Atlantic marginal evaporites, in particular, whether fl owage contaminated early oceanic crust in such areas.

Formation of Thetis Deep metal-rich sediments in the absence of brines, Red Sea

Almost all Red Sea deeps contain metal-rich sediments covered by brine pools. It is generally agreed that these metal-rich deposits precipitated from overlying metal-rich brines that originated from migrating hydrothermal fluids. No brine pool has ever been reported in Thetis Deep, inciting us to evaluate if such a brine layer ever occurred in the deep during the past. In order to address that questioning, a study combining mineralogical, geochemical (major-, minor-, rare-earth elements) and isotopic (Sr, Nd, Pb) approaches was completed on cored sediments and extracted interstitial waters from inside and outside the deep. The sediments have an overall hydrothermal origin, as shown by the REE concentrations and patterns, metal contents, and Pb–Nd isotopic data, all pointing to a mantle signature. The intensity of the hydrothermal activity varied with time in the deep; the most intense episode resulting in an almost pure Fe-oxi-hydroxide layer. Varied chemical arguments, especially the Zr and REE data of the sediments, favor the fact that the whole sedimentation in Thetis Deep occurred in the absence of a stable, salt-rich and mineralized brine pool, and that no brine layer ever existed. This conclusion is supported by the constant Sr isotope composition of the sediment and its interstitial waters that are almost identical to that of the Red Sea seawater. The study also suggests that hydrothermal activity monitored fluid supplies that interacted differently with seawater in the different Red Sea deeps, resulting in an overall formation of metal-rich sediments, but along varied local conditions.

Si-Associated Goethite in Hydrothermal Sediments of the Atlantis II and Thetis Deeps, Red Sea

AbstractThe properties of Si-associated goethite from sediments in the Atlantis II and Thetis Deeps in the Red Sea have been investigated in order to determine the effect of Si on the mineral. Two types of morphologies dominate in most samples: multi-domain crystallites, probably due to elevated Na concentration in the initial brine from which the mineral had crystallized, and mono-domain, acicular crystals. Goethite crystals with elevated Si/Fe elemental ratios are usually smaller and poorly crystalline, exhibiting numerous crystal defects, whereas larger crystals with higher crystallinity have lower Si/Fe elemental ratios. The higher Si/Fe ratios in Atlantis II Deep goethites and the lower ratio in Thetis Deep goethites probably reflect the levels of Si concentration in the hydrothermal fluids from which goethite precipitated. At relatively low Si/Fe ratios, the major effect of Si is to retard growth of the crystallites, but only a small number of defects are formed. At high Si/Fe ratios the defect concentration affects the properties of the crystals, as observed with Mössbauer spectroscopy. The Si association with goethite affects crystallinity and crystal size as indicated by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

Synthesis of clay-sized iron oxides under marine hydrothermal conditions

AbstractGoethite, lepidocrocite, magnetite and akaganeite were synthesized in 0.8 M, 2 M and 5 M NaCl solutions at various temperatures (25, 40, 60°C) under slightly acidic to slightly alkaline pH with or without Si additions. Elevated temperatures prevent complete oxidation of initial Fe2+ solutions and magnetite and siderite precipitate, accompanied by goethite and lepidocrocite. At higher salinity, O2 solubility is reduced and its distribution is limited, leading to coprecipitation of lepidocrocite, akaganeite and goethite.Lepidocrocite morphology changes from plates at pH 5.5 through rods at pH 7 to multi-domainic crystals at pH 8.2, due to enhanced crystal growth along the c axis. Salinity and temperature have opposite effects on lepidocrocite crystallinity.Goethite crystals are multi-domainic and twinning appears only at elevated temperatures. Increases in temperature and salinity improve goethite crystallinity as observed by IR spectra. Addition of Si up to Si/Fe = 0.1 retards crystal growth and Si-OH-stretching bands appear. At Si/Fe = 1 most of the precipitate is short range ordered.Platy and rod-shaped lepidocrocite from the Thetis and Atlantis II Deeps, were probably formed under the slightly acidic conditions of the hydrothermal brines. The Si concentration was greater in Atlantis II Deep than in Thetis Deep, leading to larger lepidocrocite and goethite crystals in the latter.Multi-domainic goethite could have precipitated throughout. Pure phase goethite might have precipitated in the less concentrated brine, whereas mixtures of goethite and lepidocrocite might have precipitated in the more concentrated brine, depending mainly on oxidation rate and oxygen mobility within the brine.

Lepidocrocite in Hydrothermal Sediments of the Atlantis II and Thetis Deeps, Red Sea

AbstractLepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) formation in the hydrothermal brines of the Thetis and Atlantis II Deeps in the Red Sea results in markedly different crystals (size and shape). The only foreign element associated with the crystals is Si and analyses of samples from the two deeps yielded average Si/Fe (molar) ratios of 0.03 and 0.11, respectively. The Si/Fe ratio does not affect formation of a perfect lattice along [010]. Direct observations of crystal morphology as well as X-ray diffraction patterns, Mössbauer and infrared spectra, all indicate that the Atlantis II Deep lepidocrocite is less crystalline than the Thetis Deep lepidocrocite. In one sample a poly-disperse size distribution was resolved indicating a fine-scale variation in precipitation conditions. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that the Si is adsorbed on the lepidocrocite surfaces, probably also forming polymers, as both Fe-O-Si and Si-O-Si bonds can be detected. The formation of the Atlantis II Deep lepidocrocite is due to fast oxidation of Fe2+. The blanket-like layer of lepidocrocite in Atlantis II and Thetis Deeps lepidocrocite was probably formed as a result of precipitation during an abrupt oxidation event of the brine, triggered by down-welling of a condensed oxidized brine, which originated in the northern part of the Red Sea. A difference in Si concentrations determined the different crystal properties of the lepidocrocite formed in the two deeps.

Evidence for episodic hydrothermal activity in the Red Sea from the composition and formation of hydrothermal sediments, Thetis Deep

Sediments obtained from the NE Thetis Deep during the Sonne cruise SO-29 consist of a manganite-facies and various types of Fe-facies (hematite, magnetite, goethite, and lepidocrocite facies). The sediments have a chemical and mineralogical composition similar to some of the lithological units previously described from the Atlantis II Deep, 160 km to the southeast. In contrast to the Atlantis II Deep, no stable brine pool recently exists in the NE Thetis Deep. However, based on the Fe/Mn fractionation in the Fe-facies types an intermittent brine filling of the NE Thetis Deep has probably existed. We propose that the formation of the brine pools correlate to the volume of discharging fluids. The chronology of hydrothermal deposition in the NE Thetis Deep seems to correlate with similar events in the Atlantis II Deep, suggesting that major tectonic events in the Red Sea may have caused large-scale pulses of hydrothermal activity.