Seafloor hydrothermal activity along mid-ocean ridge with strong melt supply: study from segment 27, southwest Indian...

Continuous tow investigations have shown that the present vent field inventory along fast to intermediate spreading ridges may be underestimated by at least 3-6 times, while the limited towed line investigations of venting sites along slow to ultra-slow spreading ridges make it impossible to determine their distribution. The Chinese Dayang cruise has conducted detailed towed line surveys of hydrothermal activity on segment 27 of the ultra-slow spreading southwest Indian ridge in 2015. The results have identified as many as 9 hydrothermal fields along 85-km-long segment, including one confirmed hydrothermal field, three inferred hydrothermal fields and five suspected fields. Hydrothermal activities are not only limited along-axis but also found approximately 10 km away from the axis. These vent fields are likely powered by a seismically identified axial magma chamber, including melt migration along normal faults to flank areas. The calculated hydrothermal activity frequency on segment 27 is approximately 3.6-8 times higher than that calculated from the Interridge database, suggesting that careful system exploration can reveal more hydrothermal activities even on ultra-slow spreading ridges effected by hotspot.