Laboratory Quantification of Permeability and Pore Structure in Seafloor Hydrothermal Vent Deposit Samples

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

Investigations of heat and mass transport, and of the range of thermal and chemical environments present at seafloor vent sites, require that extimates be made of transport properties, including permeability, porosity, and porosity structure. The goal of this research is to constrain the transport properties of deposits from this environment using samples recovered from the Mothra hydrothermal field on the Endeavour segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, and samples recovered from severa other vent sites. Permeability, porosity, and thermal conductivity will e determined on these samples in the Laboratory.