해저 열수입자의 지화학적 특성 연구

Abstract

KIOST (Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology) has been studying hydrothermal vent systems in the south Tonga arc and in the north Fiji basin, aiming to understand the nature of hydrothermal effluent, sinking particles, and the underlying mineral deposits. We plan to initiate a study of the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) that is less well studied. In this presentation, we briefly introduce the findings of our previous studies and our plan to study the CIR. In the south Tonga arc, we examined biogeochemical properties of sinking particles collected via short-term sediment trap deployments around a hydrothermal vent field. Contribution of non-biogenic materials was over 72 % with the concentrations of excess metals such as Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn being very high. The elemental ratios of sinking particles in the Tonga arc were similar to those of the divergent plate boundary in the East Pacific Rise. In the north Fiji basin, we collected sinking particles deployed at four locations of increasing distance from an active hydrothermal vent site. The particle flux decreased with increasing distance. This trend was consistent with the results reported in the East Pacific Rise. Compositionand other geochemical characteristics of the sinking particles are being examined at the moment. A poorly understood region of the global hydrothermal system is the CIR. We have carried out rudimentary explorations to understand the nature