Fluxes of fluid and heat from the oceanic crustal reservoir

Recent discoveries define a global scale fluid reservoir residing within the uppermost igneous oceanic crust, a region of seafloor that is both warm and may harbor a substantial biosphere. This hydrothermal fluid reservoir formed initially within volcanic rocks newly erupted at mid-ocean ridges, but extends to the vastly larger and older ridge flanks. Upper oceanic crust is porous and permeable due to the presence of lava drainbacks, fissuring, and inter-unit voids, and this porosity and permeability allows active fluid circulation to advect measurable quantities of lithospheric heat from the crust to an average age of 65 Myr. A compilation of crustal porosities shows that this fluid reservoir contains nearly 2% of the total volume of global seawater. Heat flow and sediment thickness data allow calculation of reservoir temperatures, predicting 40°C mean temperatures in Cretaceous crust. Utilizing these temperature estimates, heat flow measurements and models for the thermal structure and evolution of the oceanic lithosphere, we have computed mean hydrothermal fluxes into the deep ocean as a function of plate age. The total hydrothermal volume flux into the oceans approaches 20% of the total riverine input and may contribute to the global seawater mass balance.     

Seawater transport and reaction in upper oceanic basaltic basement: chemical data from continuous monitoring of sealed boreholes in a ridge flank environment

Osmotically pumped fluid samplers were deployed in four deep-sea boreholes that were drilled during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 168 on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Samplers were recovered from ODP Sites 1024 and 1027 and aliquots were analyzed for a variety of dissolved ions. Results from both of the samplers show a drastic change in the major ion composition within the first 20-40 days after the borehole was sealed at the seafloor followed by a more gradual change in composition. This gradual change ceased after 820 days at Site 1024 but continued throughout the 3-year deployment at Site 1027. We modeled this change in composition to estimate the flux of formation fluid through the open borehole. The rapid early change requires a flow of ∼1500 kg of formation fluid per day. The more gradual later change requires flow rates of 38 kg/day at Site 1024 and 17.5 kg/day at Site 1027. The latter fluxes require a minimum average specific discharge of meters to hundreds of meters per year through the surrounding basaltic matrix. Trace element data show surprisingly little contamination given the presence of steel casing, Li-organic-rich grease at each joint, cement, and drilling muds. Observed changes in trace element concentrations relative to those of bottom seawater provide a measure for the global significance of cool (23°C; ODP Site 1024) ridge flank hydrothermal systems relative to warm (64°C; Baby Bare and ODP Site 1027) hydrothermal systems and illustrate the importance of these cooler systems to global geochemical budgets.     

山西地震带热流体对强震活动的影响

以山西地震带热水点为基础资料，计算每个热水点的年热释放量，分析山西地区热水点的年热释放量与地震活动的关系。结果表明，热释放量低值区中小地震不活跃而强震活跃，高值区强震不活跃，而中小地震活跃。通过研究，还表明山西地区地壳活动所积累的能量，每年以热能形式释放的能量相当于一个7.3级地震，这对强震的孕育起到了缓解的作用，因此可能推迟或减少地震的发生。     

临沧锗矿含碳硅质灰岩的成因及其与锗成矿的关系

临沧锗矿是我国近年发现的具有独立开采价值且接近超大型规模的锗矿床，其富锗含煤段中存在薄层含碳硅质灰岩，深入研究含碳硅质灰岩的成因对于揭示锗矿床的成因具有重要的意义。通过对薄层含碳硅质灰岩岩石化学、微量元素、稀土元素和碳、氧同位素的系统研究，并与典型的陆相热水沉积物进行对比，得出以下初步认识：（1）含碳硅质灰岩属陆相热水沉积成因；（2）含碳硅质灰岩的微量元素和稀土元素可能主要来自基底的二云母花岗岩；（3）煤中锗主要由形成含碳硅质岩等热水沉积岩的热水带来。     

临沧锗矿褐煤的稀土元素地球化学

采用ICP-MS测定了临沧锗矿中51件含矿煤，5件无矿煤的稀土元素和锗含量，并与含矿煤层中热水成因燧石及其底白云母花岗岩进行对比，探讨了含矿煤与无矿煤的稀土元素地球化学及其与锗超常富集的关系。得出几点初步认识（1）无矿煤和含矿煤的稀土元素主要来自基底白云母花岗岩；（2）无矿煤属正常沉积产物，含矿煤组成叠加了热水活动产物；93）形成临沧锗矿的锗可能主要由热水活动带来。     

Microbial Diversity in Hydrothermal Systems and Their Influence on Geological Environments

Abstract: Microorganisms found at terrestrial and seafloor hydrothermal systems are classified based on their optimum growth temperatures. Prokaryotes exhibiting optimum growth temperatures above 45C are defined as thermophiles, while those with optimum growth temperatures above 80C are called hyperthermophiles. Hyperthermophiles have chemically and thermodynamically stable cytoplasmic‐membrane consisting of ether–lipids. Hyperthermophiles observed at temperature up to 113C in seafloor hydrothermal areas should have thermostable proteins. Presumably, the thermostable proteins are replacing certain amino acid residue by proline instead of alanine in order to increase hydrogen bonds and salt bridges. Microorganisms inhabiting terrestrial and seafloor hydrothermal areas obtain energy mainly by use of chemical disequilibrium, so that their habitat may be restricted to the redox boundary between ambient water and reduced hydrothermal fluids. Among more than 200 species of cultivable thermophiles and hyperthermophiles, hyperthermophiles mainly obtain energy by sulfur reduction, because this reaction can produce energy efficiently at > 80C. Some hyperthermophilic sulfur reducers can reduce Cr(VI), Mn(IV), Fe(III), Co(III), As(V), Se(VI), Tc(VII), Au(III) and U(VI) through hydrogen or organic compounds that act as reducing agents for yielding energy. Some hyperther‐mophiles use W instead of Mo for activating their enzymes. Bacteria can pump out toxic metal ions from their cells, however toxic metal resistance systems of archaea, including hyperthermophiles, have not yet been studied. Methane producing hyperthermophiles can yield energy by the autotrophic reaction, when sufficient carbon dioxide and molecular hydrogen can be supplied and methane can be removed from hydrothermal systems. If nitrogen can be supplied into a hydrothermal system, hydrogen oxidization by nitrogen species (e.g. NO₃^‐, NO₂^‐, NO and N₂O) may be expected through the metabolism of some hyperthermophiles.     

Geochemical Cycles of Bio-essential Elements on the Early Earth and Their Relationships to Origin of Life

Abstract: The bio-essential elements are demanded for the metabolic action of all living organisms. These elements are continuously supplied to biosphere through the elemental cycle on the surface Earth. The geochemical cycle of bio-essential elements was most likely different in the pre-biotic era (ca. 4.4 to 4.0 Ga) compared to the modern Earth. The difference was probably made by the absence of continents and biological mediation in the pre-biotic environments. Geochemical cycle models of bio-essential elements (P, B and Mo) on the pre-biotic Earth are proposed in this study, and these models are examined using available geochemical data.
The input flux of phosphorous in pre-biotic oceans was probably dominated by submarine hydrothermal activities associated with carbonatized oceanic crusts. Such input flux by submarine hydrothermal activities is not known in the present-day oceans, and probably a unique flux in the pre-biotic oceans. Boron chemistry of pre-biotic oceans was also controlled by submarine hydrothermal input flux. The Mo exchange between the pre-biotic ocean and lithosphere may have restricted only at the submarine hydrothermal areas. These suggest that the submarine hydrothermal discharging areas were only locations to obtain bio-essential elements for the earliest life. This model is consistent with the previously proposed model for hydrothermal origin of life.     

东太平洋海隆热液活动区沉积岩心的地球化学研究

东太平洋隆是现代海底热液活动及热液沉积分布最为广泛的构造环境之一。本文对采自 EPR13°N 现代海底热液活动区附近的两个沉积物岩心分别进行了元素地球化学分析，并结合沉积物中有孔虫壳体对岩心进行关键层位 14C 年代学研究。目的在于通过对比距现代海底热液喷口不同距离的两岩心的地球化学特征，研究热液活动在岩心沉积物中所何存的地球化学记录，探讨海底热液活动对洋中脊附近沉积作用的贡献，以及热液活动在一定地质历史时期内的变化规律。显示，距热液喷口区相对较近的 B13－26 岩心沉积物含有丰富的热液特征组分，绝大多数微量元素和 REE 都与 Fe和Mn 成较强的正相关关系，而与 Al、Na、Ca、Mg、Ti 等元素相关性较弱或呈负相关，说明这些元素的富集机制主要是热液成因非晶质 Fe－Mn 化合物对热液及海水中元素的吸附作用。距热液喷口区相对较远的 B13－62岩心上部沉积物中元素的富集特征与 B13－26 岩心相似，但中下部沉积物中 Fe 与 Mn 无明显的相关关系，说明这些元素的富集主要受深海粘土沉积的影响，而受热液活动的影响减弱或消失。由于与海隆扩张轴距离的不同，两岩心受热液活动影响的强度不同。由海隆扩张轴向外，沉积作用受热活动的影响逐渐减弱，正常深海沉积作用逐渐加强。两个岩心沉积物地球化学上的共性是 Ca 和 Sr 都与其他元素呈现负相关关系或极微弱的正相关关系，表明生物碳酸盐沉积作用的独特性。有孔虫 14C 年龄测定结果表明，B13－26 岩心 35～250cm 段年龄十分接近，前后相差仅在几百年内。根据年龄测量中的误差范围，可以断定这段沉积物岩心是短时间内快速沉积的产物。结合热液活动特征性元素在岩心中的分布特征，判断该岩心段记录一次强烈的热液活动事件，从而形成了典型的事件沉积。在 B13－62 岩心的45～50cm 处测得有孔虫的 14C 年龄为距今 32900±530 yr。由于 14C 测年方法上的局限性，在岩心 135～140cm 处 14C 测年只能给出大于40000 yr 的结果。显然，B13－62 岩心处早期并没有受到热液活动明显的影响，沉积速率非常缓慢，只是在近期受到了热液活动的影响，形成了上部富含 Fe、Mn、Zn、Cr、Co、Ni、V 等热液活动特征元素的沉积。