Abstract
The upper part of the igneous oceanic basement consists of basaltic lava. This basalt undergoes reaction with seawater over a range of temperatures, time and locale. This reaction is a major source and sink for various ions in seawater, and is a major process in buffering seawater composition and forming metalliferous ores in the marine environment.
The nature of the chemical reaction and the fluxes of ions exchanged between the oceans and the igneous basement are mostly dependent on the temperature of reaction and the relative proportion of the reactants. These vary in respect to the location of the water circulation and distance from the heat source. Four examples of seawater-basalt interactions are considered and the net exchange fluxes are calculated; these examples cover the range of temperature and water:rock ratios typically found in the ocean floor.
Low temperature, high water:rock ratio is typical of the exchange in the upper few meters of the oceanic basement. Only about 0.1% of new oceanic crust undergoes this reaction which extends over a time period of tens of millions of years. The annual fluxes produced are not very large. Low temperature, low water:rock ratio is typical of the reaction in the deeper parts of the oceanic basement. About 8% of newly formed oceanic crust can be expected to undergo this reaction over a period of a few million years. Reactions and fluxes on the flanks of spreading centers are at moderate temperatures and water:rock ratios. These reactions are relatively short lived, but the fluxes produced are quite high. High temperature reaction of seawater and basalt (in excess of 100°C) takes place at spreading centre axes. These reactions are fast but result in very high fluxes and formation of polymetallic sulfides or iron and manganese oxides. The products of this reaction and the direction of exchange for some ionic species are quite different compared to the lower temperature reactions.
The net effect of the basalt-seawater exchange is the sum of all the reacton fluxes over the full temperature range. This calculated net flux indicates that the basalt is a source for ions such as Si, Ca, Ba, Li, Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn and hydrogen ions. It also is the sink for ions such as Mg, K, B, Rb, H2O, Cs and U. The annual fluxes calculated for some of these species is of the same order of magnitude as the annual river influxes into the ocean.
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Thompson, G. (1983). Basalt — Seawater Interaction. In: Rona, P.A., Boström, K., Laubier, L., Smith, K.L. (eds) Hydrothermal Processes at Seafloor Spreading Centers. NATO Conference Series, vol 12. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0402-7_11
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