RAPID: Opportunistic Sampling and Preliminary Investigation of Unique Thermal Springs at the Zambales Ophiolite, Philippines

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

This research involves rapid-response activities that allow the study and sampling of a unique and scientifically important hydrothermal spring system in the Zambales ophiolite in the Philippines that is likely to be severely compromised or destroyed by development slated to begin in mid-2010. The springs are unusual and may be terrestrial analogs to undersea ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal vent systems, such as the Lost City system that was discovered a decade ago on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Because the Lost City system is costly and difficult to sample and study due to its location thousands of meters below the sea surface, the study of a possible terrestrial analog such as the one at the Zambales ophiolite is crucial for cost effectively improving our understanding of the submarine systems. Rocks, gases, fluids, and microbes from the Zambales springs will be sampled and examined. Research goals are to determine the subsurface water-rock reactions that are driving the chemical and thermal signatures of the site, as well as collect samples of microbes that live in these chemically hostile extreme environments and work with collaborators to determine their genetics. Broader impacts of the work include international collaboration and scientific cooperation between Philippine scientists; training of three graduate students; and support of a PI from a group under-represented in the sciences.