EAGER: Collaborative Research: Has Recent Tectono-Magmatic Activity at Loihi (Kamaehuakanaloa) Seamount perturbed vent-fluid circulation and hydrothermal Fe export to the ocean?

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Has Recent Tectono-Magmatic Activity at Lōʻihi (Kamaʻehuakanaloa) Seamount perturbed vent-fluid circulation and hydrothermal Fe export to the ocean? Like volcanoes on land, submarine volcanoes are not continuously erupting but can remain dormant for long periods. Even while dormant, however, the magmatic heat present beneath a volcano’s surface can continue to drive hot springs in between eruptions. The focus of this study is hot springs at the Kamaʻehuakanaloa underwater volcano (previously known as Lōʻihi), situated about 30 miles south of the Big Island of Hawai’i which last erupted in 1996. Prior studies between the mid 2000’s and late 2010’s have shown that the multiple hot-springs associated with that last eruption, at the summit of the volcano have been cooling down continuously. This study will investigate whether two sets of recent earthquakes at Kamaʻehuakanaloa may have altered that cooling trend. In May 2020 earthquakes associated with magma intrusion into the chamber deep within the seamount were detected. In 1996 earthquakes similar to this accompanied a volcanic eruption. More recently still, in December 2021 the strongest earthquakes of any kind since the 1996 eruption were detected. This project will use a deep-diving robot to investigate whether lava was erupted on the seafloor during these earthquakes and also if the composition of the fluids (chemically altered seawater) flowing out of the seafloor at the volcano’s summit has changed. The Lōʻihi seamount (recently renamed Kamaʻehuakanaloa) last erupted in 1996, significantly reshaping its summit and creating three collapse pits. Inside one of these, Pele’s Pit, hot springs have been studied which exhibited temperatures in excess of 200°C immediately post-eruption. Since 2006, however, the multiple sites that have been subject to long-term study within Pele’s Pit and around its rim have shown more modest temperatures of 15-55°C which, further, have exhibited progressive cooling at a rate of 1-2°C over a 12-year period from 2006 to 2018 (the most recent year for which time-series data exist). Thermodynamic modeling of the fluids collected in 2018 has provided new insight that the subsurface hydrothermal circulation within this steep sided seamount may extend much deeper than is typical at mid-ocean ridges (which are more elongate and exhibit shallower-sloping ridge flanks). Further, a geochemical consequence of Lōʻihi’s unusual circulation pattern may account for the unusually Fe-rich nature of the vent-fluids emerging from the seafloor at this intra-plate setting, and their impact on the surrounding ocean, when compared to mid-ocean ridges vents. This project will extend the 2006-2018 time-series of vent studies at Lōʻihi to investigate whether the subsurface hydrothermal circulation system has been perturbed by two significant episodes of seismicity that have subsequently occurred, as detected by the US Geological Survey’s Hawai’i Volcano Observatory. In May 2020, a swarm of earthquakes was detected that were distinctive compared to all seismic activity since the volcano last erupted in May 1996 because they exhibited T-phase activity, recognized as being diagnostic of magmatic fluids migrating within the interior of the seamount and potentially indicative of magma replenishment. In December 2021, an even more pronounced episode of seismicity was detected, up to magnitude M4.9, which matched the strongest earthquakes detected during the 1996 eruptions. This project will use the ROV Jason to investigate whether the seafloor hydrothermal venting at Lōʻihi has been perturbed following these episodes of seismicity. The project will test the hypothesis that the earthquakes, detected by T-phase seismic signals, perturbed the deep hydrothermal circulation cell at Lōʻihi, which in turn should be detectable at the seafloor through changes in vent-fluid temperatures and geochemical compositions. Changes in seafloor morphology and locations of vent-sites compared to the previous ROV dives in 2018 may also be expected. Conversely, the null hypothesis would be that the vent-sites that have been studied since 2006 continue to cool progressively (each vent should then be 6±2°C cooler than when last studied in 2018) with compositions that will have changed accordingly. Importantly, proving this null hypothesis would still be scientifically valuable. It would extend the longest time series available for any intra-plate hydrothermal field worldwide and continue to collect pre-event data in anticipation of future extrusive volcanism at Lōʻihi that will occur. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.