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Sea Floor Exploration pp 145–164Cite as

Hydrothermal Activity and Metalliferous Deposits

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Abstract

The World’s major marine geological structures have been affected by physical and chemical changes during and after their creation at spreading axes and in intraplate regions where islands and seamounts are formed. These changes are largely related to the penetration of the hydrosphere into the rigid lithosphere. A chemical reaction between the hydrosphere (seawater) and the lithosphere (rocks) in the presence of heat gives rise to hydrothermal fluid. The circulation of this fluid is the main cause of the lithosphere’s transformation due to the alteration (hydration) of metallic components from rocks and their subsequent precipitation on the sea floor in the form of ore deposits. A theory about the existence of hydrothermal discharge and metal deposits on the ocean floor was based on geophysical constraints related to the Earth’s heat budget. The deficit of heat discharge on spreading ridges was thought to be the result of a discharge of hydrothermal fluid on the sea floor.

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  1. Saint-Renan, France

    Roger Hekinian

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  1. Roger Hekinian
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Correspondence to Roger Hekinian .

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Hekinian, R. (2014). Hydrothermal Activity and Metalliferous Deposits. In: Sea Floor Exploration. Springer Oceanography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03203-0_6

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