Accomplishment Based Renewal: Numerical Modeling of Coupled Magma-Hydrothermal Processes at Oceanic Spreading Centers Including Magma Replenishment and Phase Separation

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

Magma-hydrothermal processes at oceanic spreading centers are an important component of Earth's thermal regime and play a critical role in cycling major and minor chemical constituents between the oceans and the crust. These processes lead to the formation metallic ore deposits and provide nutrients for unique and diverse microbial and macrofaunal ecosystems on the sea floor. This research uses the recently developed numerical modeling code, FISHES, to develop the first set of models that link time-dependent convection, crystallization, and replenishment of a magma body at an oceanic spreading center with multiphase hydrothermal fluid circulation in the oceanic crust. The work provides an essential, holistic, and presently lacking quantitative framework for understanding decades of observations of seafloor hydrothermal systems. It will also provide insight into magma-hydrothermal interactions and heat transfer at oceanic spreading centers. Of broader importance, these models will provide a necessary starting point for linking hydrothermal circulation with complex biogeochemical processes at oceanic spreading centers. It will also train a student in state-of-the-art modeling techniques.