Discovery and characterization of a new hydrothermal field at 2°N on the slow-spreading Carlsberg Ridge

A new hydrothermal field(Tianshi)was discovered on the rift valley wall through plume anomaly surveys and geological work conducted in 2012 and 2018 between 2°35′N and 2°43′N of the slow-spreading Carlsberg Ridge(CR).Here,the results of two expeditions conducted to detect and characterize the new hydrothermal field are reported.Mineralogical and geochemical data,as well as 14 C ages of a sediment core collected near the field are presented to reveal the hydrothermal history.Results show that the Tianshi field is a basalt-hosted hydrothermal system.Geochemical data of the sediments collected near the field indicate a strong hydrothermal contribution,and hydrothermal Fe and Cu fluxes range from 30 to 155 mg/(cm^(2)·ka)and 0.59 to 11.49 mg/(cm^(2)·ka),respectively.Temporal variations in the fluxes of hydrothermal Fe indicate that there have been at least three amplified hydrothermal venting events(H 1,H 2,and H 3)in the Tianshi field over the last 35.2 ka,in 28.6-35.2 ka BP,22.0-27.6 ka BP,and 1.2-11.4 ka BP,respectively.Hydrothermal event H 2 was driven by an increased magmatic production associated with sea level fall during the Last Glacial Maximum,while event H 3 was promoted by tectonic activity associated with a rapid sea level rise.This study further verified the role of sea level change in modulating hydrothermal activity on mid-ocean ridges.

Trends of carbon and nutrient accumulation through time in the Andong salt marsh,Hangzhou Bay,China

Salt marshes are important carbon and nutrient sinks that are threatened by climate changes and human activities.In this study,the accumulation rates of sedimentary total organic carbon(TOC),total nitrogen(TN),and total phosphorus(TP)from two cores in the Andong salt marsh,Hangzhou Bay,were investigated to determine whether TOC,TN,and TP show increasing or decreasing trends toward the present.The TOC accumulation rates at the relatively lower marsh were lower during 1990-1996(1.63-2.37 g/(cm^(2)·a))than 1997-2014(1.15-4.30 g/(cm^(2)·a)).The TN accumulation rates increased from 1990(0.14 g/(cm^(2)·a))toward 2012(0.40 g/(cm^(2)·a)),then decreased toward 2014(0.16 g/(cm^(2)·a)).The TP accumulation rates were lower during 1990-1999(0.10-0.21 mg/(cm^(2)·a)),and decreased from 2000(0.32 mg/(cm^(2)·a))toward 2014(0.15 mg/(cm^(2)·a)).The TOC accumulation rates along the relatively upper marsh during 1982-1992(1.18-3.25 g/(cm^(2)·a))were lower than during 1998-2010(2.30-4.20 g/(cm^(2)·a)),and then decreased toward 2015(2.15 g/(cm^(2)·a)).TN increased from 1982(0.18 g/(cm^(2)·a))to 2005(0.41 g/(cm^(2)·a)),then decreased toward 2015(0.22 g/(cm^(2)·a)).TP accumulation rates fluctuated within a narrow range during 1982-1997(0.21-0.41 mg/(cm^(2)·a)),increased from 1998(0.50 mg/(cm^(2)·a))to 2004(0.87 mg/(cm^(2)·a)),then decreased to 2015(0.38 mg/(cm^(2)·a)).Thus,increases in accumulation rates of TOC,TN,and TP from the 1980s to 1990s indicates that the marsh likely served as carbon and nutrient sinks,then the rates decreased during 2000-2015 due probably to the reduced sediment inputs from rivers and intensified sea level rise.

Sedimentary geochemical proxies for methane seepage at Site C14 in the Qiongdongnan Basin in the northern South China Sea

Recent studies have shown that specific geochemical characteristics of sediments can be used to reconstruct past methane seepage events.In this work,the correlation between the Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios of sediment samples is analyzed and the sulfate concentration profile in Site C14 from cold-seep sediments in the Qiongdongnan Basin in northern South China Sea is obtained.The results confirmed that,sulfate at 0–247 cm below sea floor(Unit I)is mainly consumed by organic matter sulfate reduction(OSR),while sulfate at 247–655 cm(UnitⅡ)is consumed by both the OSR and the anaerobic oxidation of methane(AOM).In addition,the bottom sediment layer is affected by weak methane seepage.The Mo and U enrichment factors also exhibit similar trends in their respective depth profiles.The responses of trace elements,including Co/Al,Ni/Al,Cr/Al and Zn/Al ratios to methane seepage allowed the study of depositional conditions and methane seepage events.Based on the results,it is speculated that the depositional conditions of UnitⅡchanged with depth from moderate conditions of sulfidic and oxic conditions to locally anoxic conditions,and finally to suboxic conditions due to methane fluid leakage.The stable isotope values of chromium-reducible sulfide produced by AOM and those of sulfide formed by OSR in the early diagenetic environment suffered serious depletion of 34S.This was probably due to weak methane leakage,which caused the slower upward diffusion and the effect of early diagenesis on the samples.It is necessary to consider the effects of depositional environments and diagenesis on these geochemical parameters.