Quantifying widespread hydrothermal chimneys on the East Pacific Rise flanks between 9°43' and 57'N.

ABSTRACT: Hydrothermal circulation at mid-ocean ridges drives the exchange of heat and matter from Earth's interior to the global ocean and supports deep-sea life. Away from the ridge axis, however, the spatial extent of hydrothermal discharge remains enigmatic. Using near-bottom data for a 25-kilometer-long section of the East Pacific Rise between 9°43'N and 9°57'N, we show that considerable hydrothermal flow occurs at variable distances from the ridge axis. Mapping the seafloor and water column along this segment using an autonomous underwater vehicle, we identified 448 candidate hydrothermal chimneys. More than half of them lie outside the axial summit trough, indicating that hydrothermal fluids discharge over a larger area than previously thought. Water column measurements show that >27% of mapp

SUBMITTER: Wu JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12594198 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature