Abstract
Most studies of the hydrothermal input at active ocean ridges have concentrated on elements present in solution rather than particulate matter. During the exploratory cruises Clipperton1,2 and Geocyatherm3, we moored and recovered sediment traps close to hydrothermal vents associated with the 13° N East Pacific Rise (EPR) with the aim of studying the particulate flux. The first trap was moored about 300 m east of the axis of the central valley, the second was located directly in the central valley at about 200 m from active vents. Both traps were 50 m above the sea floor and well under the depth of expansion of the hydrothermal plume1. We report here that, in addition to the expected sulphides, we recovered crystals of graphite with antimonide overgrowths. This graphite is considered to be of hydrothermal origin; it can readily be distinguished from continentally-derived carbonaceous particles. The flux of hydrothermal graphite is estimated to be about 1.7 nmol cm−2 yr−1.
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Jedwab, J., Boulègue, J. Graphite crystals in hydrothermal vents. Nature 310, 41–43 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/310041a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/310041a0
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