Sediment in the black smoker area of the East Pacific Rise (18.5°S)
In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Elsevier: Amsterdam. ISSN 0012-821X; e-ISSN 1385-013X, more
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| Keywords |
Composition > Sediment composition
ISE, East Pacific Rise
Sedimentation
Sediments > Chemical sediments > Hydrothermal deposits
East Pacific Rise [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Marchig, V.
- Erzinger, J.
- Heinze, P.-M.
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| Abstract |
A sediment profile perpendicular to the East Pacific Rise (EPR) was investigated in an area in which massive sulfides have been observed along the axis of the EPR. A Holocene to Late Pleistocene age is concluded for all of the up-to-3-m-long cores leading to sedimentation rates of 0.3-2.6 cm/1000 a. The sediments are composed of hydrothermal precipitate, calcareous tests and, in traces, hyaloclastic material. The proportion of carbonate increases with increasing distance from the spreading center. The hyaloclastic material is more or less weathered and is concentrated near the spreading center. The hydrothermal component is composed mainly of iron and manganese hydroxides. The proportion of hydrothermal matter in the sediment is higher near the axis of the EPR. Also near the axis, the elements B, P, Cr, and V are enriched in the hydrothermal component whereas Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, and As are depleted. |
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