Abstract
During the first leg of a Chinese research cruise to the Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR) in 2007, we revisited the K-segment of the SEIR and observed a water column turbidity anomaly at a CTD cast station. This station was located ∼400 m from a dredge site on a plume anomaly detected in 1996 by US scientists. The characteristics of the turbidity anomaly detected in our survey are different from those observed 11 years previously, implying that either the detected anomalies have distinct and different plume sources or the robustness of the plume has changed in the intervening time. In addition, turbidity anomalies were observed at two localities on the K-segment in a deep tow-yo profile. If these two anomalies are not connected, the plume incidence calculated would be about 0.28, larger than the predicted value of 0.25 for a 65 mm/a spreading rate. This increase in plume incidence on the K-segment seems to be related to the influence of the St. Paul-Amsterdam hotspot, located about 300 km to the northwest.
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Wang, T., Chen, Y.J. & Tao, C. Revisit the K-segment of the Southeast Indian Ridge for new evidence of hydrothermal plumes. Chin. Sci. Bull. 56, 3605–3609 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-011-4723-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-011-4723-5