Fe and S-isotope compositions of hydrothermal deposits from Kings Triple Junction, Lau Basin, southwest Pacific Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 230 ◽  
pp. 103929
Author(s):  
Durbar Ray ◽  
Bulusu Sreenivas ◽  
L. Surya Prakash ◽  
Aninda Mazumdar ◽  
Aditya Peketi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Triple Junction ◽  
Lau Basin ◽  
Southwest Pacific ◽  
Hydrothermal Deposits ◽  
S Isotope

scholarly journals Hydrothermal trace metal release and microbial metabolism in the northeastern Lau Basin of the South Pacific Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 5397-5422
Author(s):  
Natalie R. Cohen ◽  
Abigail E. Noble ◽  
Dawn M. Moran ◽  
Matthew R. McIlvin ◽  
Tyler J. Goepfert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Spreading Center ◽  
Marine Microorganisms ◽  
Dissolved Metals ◽  
Lau Basin ◽  
Southwest Pacific ◽  
South Pacific Ocean ◽  
Close Proximity

Abstract. Bioactive trace metals are critical micronutrients for marine microorganisms due to their role in mediating biological redox reactions, and complex biogeochemical processes control their distributions. Hydrothermal vents may represent an important source of metals to microorganisms, especially those inhabiting low-iron waters, such as in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Previous measurements of primordial 3He indicate a significant hydrothermal source originating in the northeastern (NE) Lau Basin, with the plume advecting into the southwest Pacific Ocean at 1500–2000 m depth (Lupton et al., 2004). Studies investigating the long-range transport of trace metals associated with such dispersing plumes are rare, and the biogeochemical impacts on local microbial physiology have not yet been described. Here we quantified dissolved metals and assessed microbial metaproteomes across a transect spanning the tropical and equatorial Pacific with a focus on the hydrothermally active NE Lau Basin and report elevated iron and manganese concentrations across 441 km of the southwest Pacific. The most intense signal was detected near the Mangatolo Triple Junction (MTJ) and Northeast Lau Spreading Center (NELSC), in close proximity to the previously reported 3He signature. Protein content in distal-plume-influenced seawater, which was high in metals, was overall similar to background locations, though key prokaryotic proteins involved in metal and organic uptake, protein degradation, and chemoautotrophy were abundant compared to deep waters outside of the distal plume. Our results demonstrate that trace metals derived from the NE Lau Basin are transported over appreciable distances into the southwest Pacific Ocean and that bioactive chemical resources released from submarine vent systems are utilized by surrounding deep-sea microbes, influencing both their physiology and their contributions to ocean biogeochemical cycling.

scholarly journals Supplemental Material: A new geological map of the Lau Basin (southwestern Pacific Ocean) reveals crustal growth processes in arc-backarc systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.S. Stewart ◽  
et al.
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Triple Junction ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Crustal Growth ◽  
Growth Processes ◽  
Scale Item ◽  
Lau Basin ◽  
Geological Map ◽  
Ground Truthing

<div>Supplemental Material. Item S1: Geological map of the Lau Basin at 1:1,000,000 scale. Item S2: Geological map of the Mangatolu Triple Junction at 1:200,000 scale. Item S3: Cruise listing and data sources. Item S4: Ground-truthing dataset for the geological map of the Lau Basin.<br></div>

scholarly journals Supplemental Material: A new geological map of the Lau Basin (southwestern Pacific Ocean) reveals crustal growth processes in arc-backarc systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.S. Stewart ◽  
et al.
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Triple Junction ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Crustal Growth ◽  
Growth Processes ◽  
Scale Item ◽  
Lau Basin ◽  
Geological Map ◽  
Ground Truthing

<div>Supplemental Material. Item S1: Geological map of the Lau Basin at 1:1,000,000 scale. Item S2: Geological map of the Mangatolu Triple Junction at 1:200,000 scale. Item S3: Cruise listing and data sources. Item S4: Ground-truthing dataset for the geological map of the Lau Basin.<br></div>

Tectonic activity of the northern and southern plate boundaries of the Niuafo’ou microplate, Lau Basin, southwest Pacific Ocean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anouk Beniest ◽  
Michael Schnabel ◽  
Anke Dannowski ◽  
Florian Schmid ◽  
Anna Jegen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Tectonic Evolution ◽  
Tectonic Setting ◽  
Tectonic Activity ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Spreading Center ◽  
Rift System ◽  
Plate Boundaries ◽  
Lau Basin ◽  
Southwest Pacific

&lt;p&gt;The northern Lau Basin in the southwest Pacific Ocean is one of the fastest opening back-arc basins on Earth, resulting in a mosaic of microplates, including the Niuafo&amp;#8217;ou and Tongan microplates. The Fonualei Rift and Spreading Center (FRSC) is the eastern plate boundary that separates the Niuafo&amp;#8217;ou from the Tongan microplate. The northern part of the FRSC is actively spreading, whereas the southern part is rifting. What is unclear, however, is how extension of the Lau Basin is accommodated north and south of the FRSC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We present the results of six Multi-Channel Seismic profiles acquired during the ARCHIMEDES-I expedition and show an analogue lithosphere-scale model example of our proposed tectonic evolution. Profiles P1 (oriented NW-SE) and P2 (oriented W-E) cover the Mangatolu Triple Junction (MTJ) and the northern part of the FRSC. P3 and P4 (both oriented W-E) cover the southern Niuafo&amp;#8217;ou microplate. P5 and P6 (both oriented W-E) cover the area south of the FRSC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The northern profiles (P1 and P2) reveal a thick package of sediment towards the east, covering a heavily faulted basement over a wide area. Some indication for intrusive material is observed closer to the volcanic arc, but also further towards the western end of P2. Faults cross-cutting the basement but that do not reach the surface are considered inactive today. Faults reach the surface close to the MTJ and the northern tip of the FRSC and are considered active today. This leads to the interpretation that an earlier rift phase accommodated extension in a wide rift tectonic setting, whereas today, the extension is accommodated in a narrow rift or spreading tectonic setting. We will show an analogue model example that demonstrates this wide-to-narrow extensional tectonic evolution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The profiles that cover the southern extent of the FRSC (P3, P4, P5 and P6), show that active faulting occurs towards the west, close to the Central Lau Spreading Center. Hidden faults that have deformed the basement, but do not affect the surface today anymore are observed in the abyssal parts of P3, P4, P5 and P6. Active faults that reach the surface are also observed towards the east. Recent volcanism is observed, both in the form of intrusive bodies, i.e. sills, as well as volcanoes that pierce through the stratigraphy. The observations lead to the conclusion that south of the FRSC an earlier (wide) rift system affected a larger area in the current abyssal parts of the profiles, whereas extension is currently accommodated through spreading in the CLSC, west of the southern tip of the FRSC.&lt;/p&gt;

GEOLOGY OF LAU BASIN IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC OCEAN

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quanshu YAN ◽  
Xuefa SHI ◽  
Naisheng LI
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Lau Basin ◽  
Southwest Pacific

scholarly journals Hydrothermal trace metal release and microbial metabolism in the Northeast Lau Basin of the south Pacific Ocean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie R. Cohen ◽  
Abigail E. Noble ◽  
Dawn M. Moran ◽  
Matthew R. McIlvin ◽  
Tyler J. Goepfert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Spreading Center ◽  
Marine Microorganisms ◽  
Dissolved Metals ◽  
Lau Basin ◽  
Southwest Pacific ◽  
South Pacific Ocean ◽  
Close Proximity

Abstract. Bioactive trace metals are critical micronutrients for marine microorganisms due to their role in mediating biological redox reactions, and complex biogeochemical processes control their distributions. Hydrothermal vents may represent an important source of metals to microorganisms, especially those inhabiting low iron waters, such as in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Previous measurements of primordial 3He indicate a significant hydrothermal source originating in the Northeast (NE) Lau Basin, with the plume advecting into the southwest Pacific Ocean at 1,500–2,000 m depth (Lupton et al. 2004). Studies investigating the long range of trace metals associated with such dispersing plumes are rare, and the biogeochemical impacts on local microbial physiology have not yet been described. Here we quantified dissolved metals and assessed microbial metaproteomes across a transect spanning the tropical and equatorial Pacific with a focus on the hydrothermally active NE Lau Basin, and report elevated iron and manganese concentrations across 441 km of the southwest Pacific. The most intense signal was detected near the Mangatolu Triple Junction (MTJ) and Northeast Lau Spreading Center (NELSC), in close proximity to the previously reported 3He signature. Protein content in distal plume-influenced seawater, which was high in metals, was overall similar to background locations, though key prokaryotic proteins involved in metal and organic uptake, protein degradation and chemoautotrophy were comparatively abundant compared to deep waters outside of the distal plume. Our results demonstrate that trace metals derived from the NE Lau Basin are transported over appreciable distances into the southwest Pacific Ocean, and that bioactive chemical resources released from submarine vent systems are utilized by surrounding deep sea microbes, influencing both their physiology and their contributions to ocean biogeochemical cycling.

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