TY - JOUR

T1 - Influence of Global Glaciation on the Origin of Hydrothermal Activity within the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

AU - Musatov, A. E.

AU - Cherkashov, G. A.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors are grateful to V.Yu. Kuznetsov (St. Petersburg State University) for determining the age of sulfide ores and employees of the Ocean Exploration and Survey Party (JSC PMGE) for providing the ore material. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Pleiades Publishing, Inc. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2020/5/1

Y1 - 2020/5/1

N2 - Sea level changes during of Earth’s glacial periods the reduce hydrostatic pressure on the ocean bottom. The decrease in hydrostatic pressure increases magmatic activity and, as a result, could lead to the formation of hydrothermal systems [9, 19]. Thus, a correlation between glacial periods and the origin of circulating hydrothermal systems is possible. To test the hypothesis about the relationship between the formation of hydrothermal systems and glacial periods, we compared the 230Th/U age dates of sulfide ores in the northern near-equatorial zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and marine isotopic stages, which reflect glacial and interglacial periods. The comparison shows that the glacial periods coincide only with the onset of formation of ore objects associated with basalts within magmatic segments of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Conversely, the periods of formation of ore objects associated with tectonic segments of the ridge within oceanic complexes are unrelated to glaciation. We hypothesize that the relationship between glaciations and the origin of hydrothermal systems is determined by differences in the geological conditions for the formation of seafloor massive sulfides within slow-spreading ridges.

AB - Sea level changes during of Earth’s glacial periods the reduce hydrostatic pressure on the ocean bottom. The decrease in hydrostatic pressure increases magmatic activity and, as a result, could lead to the formation of hydrothermal systems [9, 19]. Thus, a correlation between glacial periods and the origin of circulating hydrothermal systems is possible. To test the hypothesis about the relationship between the formation of hydrothermal systems and glacial periods, we compared the 230Th/U age dates of sulfide ores in the northern near-equatorial zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and marine isotopic stages, which reflect glacial and interglacial periods. The comparison shows that the glacial periods coincide only with the onset of formation of ore objects associated with basalts within magmatic segments of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Conversely, the periods of formation of ore objects associated with tectonic segments of the ridge within oceanic complexes are unrelated to glaciation. We hypothesize that the relationship between glaciations and the origin of hydrothermal systems is determined by differences in the geological conditions for the formation of seafloor massive sulfides within slow-spreading ridges.

KW - Th/U dating

KW - Late Pleistocene glaciations

KW - marine isotope stages

KW - Mid-Atlantic Ridge

KW - modern hydrothermal activity

KW - seafloor massive sulfides

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85089098684&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1134/S0001437020030066

DO - 10.1134/S0001437020030066

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85089098684

VL - 60

SP - 405

EP - 411

JO - Oceanology

JF - Oceanology

SN - 0001-4370

IS - 3

ER -