Continental margins in world oceans contain large amounts of marine gas hydrates. Changes in the temperature and pressure of sediment may destabilize the methane hydrate, leading to its release and seepage into the se...Continental margins in world oceans contain large amounts of marine gas hydrates. Changes in the temperature and pressure of sediment may destabilize the methane hydrate, leading to its release and seepage into the sea. This process would increase the dissolved methane in the ambient seawater. In this study, a methane sensor was used to detect methane anomalies in the water column in southwestern Dongsha and Shenhu, northern slope of the South China Sea. Methane plumes were detected at stations SCS001 and T001 in the southwestern Dongsha area, and station SCS002 in the Shenhu area, respectively. The maximum methane concentrations were 8.8 nmol/L in southwestern Dongsha and 10.1 nmol/L in Shenhu, which are about 4–5 times higher than the background methane concentration. This indicates that there are active methane seepages present in both the southwestern Dongsha and Shenhu areas, which are likely related to a methane hydrate reservoir beneath the seafloor. A methane sensor with a low detection limit is a practical instrument with which to detect methane plumes in oceanic environments and to monitor methane leakage from the seafloor.展开更多
Sediment core IR-GC1, from the abyssal basin of the Indian Ocean off Sumatra, may provide important information on depositional events related to earthquakes and tsunamis. In this study, based on a combination of grai...Sediment core IR-GC1, from the abyssal basin of the Indian Ocean off Sumatra, may provide important information on depositional events related to earthquakes and tsunamis. In this study, based on a combination of grain-size analysis with lithological studies and oxygen isotope stratigraphy, seven deep-sea turbidite layers were identified, corresponding to seven turbidity events that occurred at 128- 130, 105-107, 98-100, 86-87, 50-53, 37-41 and 20-29 ka. The sediments of the turbidite deposits are characterized by coarse grain sizes, poor sorting, wide kurtosis, bimodal frequency distributions and clear depositional variations. Particle size grading is also an important signature of deep-sea turbidite deposits and can be used as an indicator to identify turbidite layers. Possible triggering mechanisms for the turbidite events include tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and sea-level changes.展开更多
Fractional crystallization of basaltic magma at variable depths influences strongly the geochemical compositions of mid-ocean ridge basalts(MORBs),especially at slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges.The Carlsberg Ridge is a...Fractional crystallization of basaltic magma at variable depths influences strongly the geochemical compositions of mid-ocean ridge basalts(MORBs),especially at slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges.The Carlsberg Ridge is a typical slow-spreading ridge located in the northwestern Indian Ocean.In this study,we conducted petrological,geochemical and modelling studies of MORBs collected along the Carlsberg Ridge from 57°-65°E to understand the fractional crystallization processes of magma and the controls on variations in MORB geochemistry.Our results show that the mantle sources beneath the Carlsberg Ridge are heterogeneous even on the local scale of a segment;such heterogeneity may be ubiquitous beneath the Carlsberg Ridge.Mantle heterogeneity may be caused by the enriched components resulting in the"DUPAL"anomaly,whereas the effect of pyroxenite on mantle heterogeneity is negligible.The parental melts experienced crystallization of olivine,plagioclase and clinopyroxene prior to eruption,which played a significant role in the major and trace element variations in MORBs from the Carlsberg Ridge.The liquid lines of descent(LLDs),deduced from the forward modelling of three parental magma compositions using the Petrolog3 program at pressures between 1 atm and 10 kbar,demonstrate that clinopyroxene joined the olivine and plagioclase cotectic.The over-enrichment in highly incompatible elements relative to LLDs may be caused by the processes of replenishment-tapping-crystallization in magma chambers.The calculated crystallization pressures suggest that parental magmas beneath the Carlsberg Ridge experienced moderateto high-pressure crystallization and that crystallization beneath the slow-spreading Carlsberg Ridge may start at upper mantle depths.展开更多
Large-scale detachment faults on mid-ocean ridges （MORs） provide a window into the deeper earth. They have megamullion on their corrugated surfaces, with exposed lower crustal and upper mantle rocks, rela- tively hi...Large-scale detachment faults on mid-ocean ridges （MORs） provide a window into the deeper earth. They have megamullion on their corrugated surfaces, with exposed lower crustal and upper mantle rocks, rela- tively high residual Bouguer gravity anomaly and P-wave velocity, and are commonly associated with ocean- ic core complex. According to 30 detachment faults identified on MORs, we found that their distances to the axis mostly range from 5 to 50 km, half-spreading rates range from 6.8 to 17 mm/a, and activity time ranges from recent to 3 Ma. Most of the detachment faults are developed on the slow spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge （MAR） and ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge （SWIRl, with the dominant half-spreading rates of 7-13 mm/a, especially 10-13 mm/a. Furthermore, they mostly occur at the inside corner of one segment end and result in an asymmetric seafloor spreading. The detachment faults on MORs are mainly controlled by the tectonism and influenced by the magmatism. Long-lived detachment faults tend to be formed where the ridge magma supply is at a moderate level, although the tectonism is a first-order controlling factor. At the slow spreading ridges, detachment faults tend to occur where local magma supply is relatively low, whilst at the ultra-slow spreading ridges, they normally occur where local magma supply is relatively high. These faults are accompanied by hydrothermal activities, with their relationships being useful in the study of hydrothermal polymetallic sulfides and their origin.展开更多
Three volcanic ash layers were identified in a deep-sea Core IR-GC1 from the north-eastern Indian Ocean, adjacent to western Indonesian arc. They were dominated by glass shards with minor mineral crystals, such as pla...Three volcanic ash layers were identified in a deep-sea Core IR-GC1 from the north-eastern Indian Ocean, adjacent to western Indonesian arc. They were dominated by glass shards with minor mineral crystals, such as plagioclase, biotite, and hornblende. According to the morphology and major element compositions of the representative glass shards, combined with theδ18O-based age, it is suggested that ash Layer A is cor-related to the youngest Toba tuff （YTT）, Layer B is supposed to be associated with a new eruption of Toba caldera in an age of 98 to 100 ka. Ash Layer C is different the geochemistry characteristics than those of Layer A and Layer B, suggesting that Layer C was not originated from Toba but registered another volcanic erup-tion event.展开更多
现代海底块状硫化物矿床(SMS)富含Au等战略性矿产,是海底成矿作用研究的热点(Fuchs et al.,2019)。传统观点认为,富Au型SMS矿床可赋存于现代海底各种构造环境中,但高品位的Au通常与岛弧、不成熟的弧后环境有关,大洋中脊形成的块状硫化...现代海底块状硫化物矿床(SMS)富含Au等战略性矿产,是海底成矿作用研究的热点(Fuchs et al.,2019)。传统观点认为,富Au型SMS矿床可赋存于现代海底各种构造环境中,但高品位的Au通常与岛弧、不成熟的弧后环境有关,大洋中脊形成的块状硫化物往往是贫Au的。展开更多
To understand the source and nature of the ore-forming fluids of the Edmond hydrothermal field on the Central Indian Ridge, we studied the He-Ar isotope composition and fluid inclusions of the hydrothermal precipitate...To understand the source and nature of the ore-forming fluids of the Edmond hydrothermal field on the Central Indian Ridge, we studied the He-Ar isotope composition and fluid inclusions of the hydrothermal precipitates.Our results show that the sulfide samples contain noble gases He, Ne, Kr, and Xe with their abundances in between those of air-saturated water（ASW） and mid-ocean ridge basalt（MORB）. The ^3He/^4He ratio varies from1.3 to 8.7 Ra（n=10, average： 5.1 Ra）, whereas the ^40Ar/^36Ar ratio is from 285.3 to 314.7（n=10, average： 294.8）. These results suggest that the He was derived from a mixture of MORB with variable amounts of seawater, but the Ar in the ore-forming fluids trapped in the sulfides is predominantly derived from seawater. The fluid inclusions of barite have a wide range of homogenization temperatures and salinities varying from 163℃ to 260℃ and 2.6 wt%to 8.5 wt% Na Cl equiv., respectively. It is suggested that the ore-forming fluids were produced by phase separation, which agreed with the present-day vent fluid study.展开更多
A summer-time shipboard meteorological survey is described in the Northwest Indian Ocean. Shipboard observations are used to evaluate a satellite-based sea surface temperature（SST）, and then find the main factors th...A summer-time shipboard meteorological survey is described in the Northwest Indian Ocean. Shipboard observations are used to evaluate a satellite-based sea surface temperature（SST）, and then find the main factors that are highly correlated with errors. Two satellite data, the first is remote sensing product of a microwave, which is a Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager（TMI）, and the second is merged data from the microwave and infrared satellite as well as drifter observations, which is Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis（OSTIA）. The results reveal that the daily mean SST of merged data has much lower bias and root mean square error as compared with that from microwave products. Therefore the results support the necessary of the merging infrared and drifter SST with a microwave satellite for improving the quality of the SST. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient between an SST error and meteorological parameters, which include a wind speed, an air temperature, a relative humidity, an air pressure, and a visibility. The results show that the wind speed has the largest correlation coefficient with the TMI SST error. However, the air temperature is the most important factor to the OSTIA SST error. Meanwhile,the relative humidity shows the high correlation with the SST error for the OSTIA product.展开更多
During January–May in 2007,the Chinese research cruise DY115-19 discovered an active hydrothermal field at 49°39′E/37°47′S on the ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR).This was also the first ...During January–May in 2007,the Chinese research cruise DY115-19 discovered an active hydrothermal field at 49°39′E/37°47′S on the ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR).This was also the first active hydrothermal field found along an ultraslow-spreading ridge.We analyzed mineralogical,textural and geochemical compositions of the sulfide chimneys obtained from the 49°39′E field.Chimney samples show a concentric mineral zone around the fluid channel.The mineral assemblages of the interiors consist mainly of chalcopyrite,with pyrite and sphalerite as minor constitunets.In the intermediate portion,pyrite becomes the dominant mineral,with chalcopyrite and sphalerite as minor constitunets.For the outer wall,the majority of minerals are pyrite and sphalerite,with few chalcopyrite.Towards the outer margin of the chimney wall,the mineral grains become small and irregular in shape gradually,while minerals within interstices are abundant.These features are similar to those chimney edifices found on the East Pacific Rise and Mid-Atlantic Ridge.The average contents of Cu,Fe and Zn in our chimney samples were 2.83 wt%,45.6 wt% and 3.28 wt%,respectively.The average Au and Ag contents were up to 2.0 ppm and 70.2 ppm respectively,higher than the massive sulfides from most hydrothermal fields along mid-ocean ridge.The rare earth elements geochemistry of the sulfide chimneys show a pattern distinctive from the sulfides recovered from typical hydrothermal fields along sedimentstarved mid-ocean ridge,with the enrichment of light rare earth elements but the weak,mostly negative,Eu anomaly.This is attributed to the distinct mineralization environment or fluid compositions in this area.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2017YFC0306701)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41106052)the Fundamental Research Funds for National Nonprofit Institute Grant(No.JG1511)
文摘Continental margins in world oceans contain large amounts of marine gas hydrates. Changes in the temperature and pressure of sediment may destabilize the methane hydrate, leading to its release and seepage into the sea. This process would increase the dissolved methane in the ambient seawater. In this study, a methane sensor was used to detect methane anomalies in the water column in southwestern Dongsha and Shenhu, northern slope of the South China Sea. Methane plumes were detected at stations SCS001 and T001 in the southwestern Dongsha area, and station SCS002 in the Shenhu area, respectively. The maximum methane concentrations were 8.8 nmol/L in southwestern Dongsha and 10.1 nmol/L in Shenhu, which are about 4–5 times higher than the background methane concentration. This indicates that there are active methane seepages present in both the southwestern Dongsha and Shenhu areas, which are likely related to a methane hydrate reservoir beneath the seafloor. A methane sensor with a low detection limit is a practical instrument with which to detect methane plumes in oceanic environments and to monitor methane leakage from the seafloor.
基金granted by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41106052)China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association project (DY125-12-R-03)the Fundamental Research Funds for National Nonprofit Institute Grant(JG1511)
文摘Sediment core IR-GC1, from the abyssal basin of the Indian Ocean off Sumatra, may provide important information on depositional events related to earthquakes and tsunamis. In this study, based on a combination of grain-size analysis with lithological studies and oxygen isotope stratigraphy, seven deep-sea turbidite layers were identified, corresponding to seven turbidity events that occurred at 128- 130, 105-107, 98-100, 86-87, 50-53, 37-41 and 20-29 ka. The sediments of the turbidite deposits are characterized by coarse grain sizes, poor sorting, wide kurtosis, bimodal frequency distributions and clear depositional variations. Particle size grading is also an important signature of deep-sea turbidite deposits and can be used as an indicator to identify turbidite layers. Possible triggering mechanisms for the turbidite events include tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and sea-level changes.
基金Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2018YFC0309903)the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association Project(No.DY135-S2-1-2,5&7)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.91228101,41872242)the Scientific Research Fund of the Second Institute of Oceanography,Ministry of Natural Resources,China(Nos.JG1410,JG1405,QNYC1701,JZ1901)
文摘Fractional crystallization of basaltic magma at variable depths influences strongly the geochemical compositions of mid-ocean ridge basalts(MORBs),especially at slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges.The Carlsberg Ridge is a typical slow-spreading ridge located in the northwestern Indian Ocean.In this study,we conducted petrological,geochemical and modelling studies of MORBs collected along the Carlsberg Ridge from 57°-65°E to understand the fractional crystallization processes of magma and the controls on variations in MORB geochemistry.Our results show that the mantle sources beneath the Carlsberg Ridge are heterogeneous even on the local scale of a segment;such heterogeneity may be ubiquitous beneath the Carlsberg Ridge.Mantle heterogeneity may be caused by the enriched components resulting in the"DUPAL"anomaly,whereas the effect of pyroxenite on mantle heterogeneity is negligible.The parental melts experienced crystallization of olivine,plagioclase and clinopyroxene prior to eruption,which played a significant role in the major and trace element variations in MORBs from the Carlsberg Ridge.The liquid lines of descent(LLDs),deduced from the forward modelling of three parental magma compositions using the Petrolog3 program at pressures between 1 atm and 10 kbar,demonstrate that clinopyroxene joined the olivine and plagioclase cotectic.The over-enrichment in highly incompatible elements relative to LLDs may be caused by the processes of replenishment-tapping-crystallization in magma chambers.The calculated crystallization pressures suggest that parental magmas beneath the Carlsberg Ridge experienced moderateto high-pressure crystallization and that crystallization beneath the slow-spreading Carlsberg Ridge may start at upper mantle depths.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 91028006 and 41206046the Dayang 115 under contact No.DYXM-115-02-3-01
文摘Large-scale detachment faults on mid-ocean ridges （MORs） provide a window into the deeper earth. They have megamullion on their corrugated surfaces, with exposed lower crustal and upper mantle rocks, rela- tively high residual Bouguer gravity anomaly and P-wave velocity, and are commonly associated with ocean- ic core complex. According to 30 detachment faults identified on MORs, we found that their distances to the axis mostly range from 5 to 50 km, half-spreading rates range from 6.8 to 17 mm/a, and activity time ranges from recent to 3 Ma. Most of the detachment faults are developed on the slow spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge （MAR） and ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge （SWIRl, with the dominant half-spreading rates of 7-13 mm/a, especially 10-13 mm/a. Furthermore, they mostly occur at the inside corner of one segment end and result in an asymmetric seafloor spreading. The detachment faults on MORs are mainly controlled by the tectonism and influenced by the magmatism. Long-lived detachment faults tend to be formed where the ridge magma supply is at a moderate level, although the tectonism is a first-order controlling factor. At the slow spreading ridges, detachment faults tend to occur where local magma supply is relatively low, whilst at the ultra-slow spreading ridges, they normally occur where local magma supply is relatively high. These faults are accompanied by hydrothermal activities, with their relationships being useful in the study of hydrothermal polymetallic sulfides and their origin.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41106052 91228101 and 41306056the Fundamental Research Funds for National Nonprofit Institute Grant under contract No.JG0910
文摘Three volcanic ash layers were identified in a deep-sea Core IR-GC1 from the north-eastern Indian Ocean, adjacent to western Indonesian arc. They were dominated by glass shards with minor mineral crystals, such as plagioclase, biotite, and hornblende. According to the morphology and major element compositions of the representative glass shards, combined with theδ18O-based age, it is suggested that ash Layer A is cor-related to the youngest Toba tuff （YTT）, Layer B is supposed to be associated with a new eruption of Toba caldera in an age of 98 to 100 ka. Ash Layer C is different the geochemistry characteristics than those of Layer A and Layer B, suggesting that Layer C was not originated from Toba but registered another volcanic erup-tion event.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No.41306056the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association Project under contract No.DY125-12-R-03the Scientific Research Fund of the Second Institute of Oceanography,SOA under contract No.JG1308
文摘To understand the source and nature of the ore-forming fluids of the Edmond hydrothermal field on the Central Indian Ridge, we studied the He-Ar isotope composition and fluid inclusions of the hydrothermal precipitates.Our results show that the sulfide samples contain noble gases He, Ne, Kr, and Xe with their abundances in between those of air-saturated water（ASW） and mid-ocean ridge basalt（MORB）. The ^3He/^4He ratio varies from1.3 to 8.7 Ra（n=10, average： 5.1 Ra）, whereas the ^40Ar/^36Ar ratio is from 285.3 to 314.7（n=10, average： 294.8）. These results suggest that the He was derived from a mixture of MORB with variable amounts of seawater, but the Ar in the ore-forming fluids trapped in the sulfides is predominantly derived from seawater. The fluid inclusions of barite have a wide range of homogenization temperatures and salinities varying from 163℃ to 260℃ and 2.6 wt%to 8.5 wt% Na Cl equiv., respectively. It is suggested that the ore-forming fluids were produced by phase separation, which agreed with the present-day vent fluid study.
基金China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association Project under contract No.DY125-12-R-03the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41476021 and 41321004the Scientific Research Fund of Second Institute of Oceanography,State Oceanic Administration China under contract No.JT1205
文摘A summer-time shipboard meteorological survey is described in the Northwest Indian Ocean. Shipboard observations are used to evaluate a satellite-based sea surface temperature（SST）, and then find the main factors that are highly correlated with errors. Two satellite data, the first is remote sensing product of a microwave, which is a Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager（TMI）, and the second is merged data from the microwave and infrared satellite as well as drifter observations, which is Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis（OSTIA）. The results reveal that the daily mean SST of merged data has much lower bias and root mean square error as compared with that from microwave products. Therefore the results support the necessary of the merging infrared and drifter SST with a microwave satellite for improving the quality of the SST. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient between an SST error and meteorological parameters, which include a wind speed, an air temperature, a relative humidity, an air pressure, and a visibility. The results show that the wind speed has the largest correlation coefficient with the TMI SST error. However, the air temperature is the most important factor to the OSTIA SST error. Meanwhile,the relative humidity shows the high correlation with the SST error for the OSTIA product.
基金supported by the China Ocean Min-eral Resources Research and Development Association Program (DY115- 02-1-01)the State Oceanic Administration Youth Science Fund (2010318)
文摘During January–May in 2007,the Chinese research cruise DY115-19 discovered an active hydrothermal field at 49°39′E/37°47′S on the ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR).This was also the first active hydrothermal field found along an ultraslow-spreading ridge.We analyzed mineralogical,textural and geochemical compositions of the sulfide chimneys obtained from the 49°39′E field.Chimney samples show a concentric mineral zone around the fluid channel.The mineral assemblages of the interiors consist mainly of chalcopyrite,with pyrite and sphalerite as minor constitunets.In the intermediate portion,pyrite becomes the dominant mineral,with chalcopyrite and sphalerite as minor constitunets.For the outer wall,the majority of minerals are pyrite and sphalerite,with few chalcopyrite.Towards the outer margin of the chimney wall,the mineral grains become small and irregular in shape gradually,while minerals within interstices are abundant.These features are similar to those chimney edifices found on the East Pacific Rise and Mid-Atlantic Ridge.The average contents of Cu,Fe and Zn in our chimney samples were 2.83 wt%,45.6 wt% and 3.28 wt%,respectively.The average Au and Ag contents were up to 2.0 ppm and 70.2 ppm respectively,higher than the massive sulfides from most hydrothermal fields along mid-ocean ridge.The rare earth elements geochemistry of the sulfide chimneys show a pattern distinctive from the sulfides recovered from typical hydrothermal fields along sedimentstarved mid-ocean ridge,with the enrichment of light rare earth elements but the weak,mostly negative,Eu anomaly.This is attributed to the distinct mineralization environment or fluid compositions in this area.
