2008/01/01 by Andrea Koschinsky, Dieter Garbe‐Schönberg, Sylvia G. Sander +3 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research #Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes #Sander #Art history #Ridge #Art #History #Cartography #Engineering #Geography
paper · doi:10.1130/g24726a.1
openalex publication_date 2008/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Research Article| August 01, 2008 Hydrothermal venting at pressure-temperature conditions above the critical point of seawater, 5°S on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Andrea Koschinsky; Andrea Koschinsky 1School of Engineering and Science, Jacobs University Bremen, 28759 Bremen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Dieter Garbe-Schönberg; Dieter Garbe-Schönberg 2Institute of Geosciences, University of Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Sylvia Sander; Sylvia Sander 3Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Katja Schmidt; Katja Schmidt 4School of Engineering and Science, Jacobs University Bremen, 28759 Bremen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hans-Hermann Gennerich; Hans-Hermann Gennerich 5Institute of Geosciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Harald Strauss Harald Strauss 6Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Andrea Koschinsky 1School of Engineering and Science, Jacobs University Bremen, 28759 Bremen, Germany Dieter Garbe-Schönberg 2Institute of Geosciences, University of Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany Sylvia Sander 3Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Katja Schmidt 4School of Engineering and Science, Jacobs University Bremen, 28759 Bremen, Germany Hans-Hermann Gennerich 5Institute of Geosciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany Harald Strauss 6Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 04 Jan 2008 Revision Received: 18 Apr 2008 Accepted: 21 Apr 2008 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2008 Geological Society of America Geology (2008) 36 (8): 615–618. https://doi.org/10.1130/G24726A.1 Article history Received: 04 Jan 2008 Revision Received: 18 Apr 2008 Accepted: 21 Apr 2008 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Andrea Koschinsky, Dieter Garbe-Schönberg, Sylvia Sander, Katja Schmidt, Hans-Hermann Gennerich, Harald Strauss; Hydrothermal venting at pressure-temperature conditions above the critical point of seawater, 5°S on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Geology 2008;; 36 (8): 615–618. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G24726A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Hydrothermal circulation within oceanic crust depends on pressure (P) and temperature (T); the critical point (CP) of seawater at 298 bar and 407 °C represents the threshold between subcritical and supercritical conditions. Here we present data from the first hydrothermal system in which the sampled fluids fall on and above the CP. The vent system discovered at 5°S on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is characterized by multiple fluid emanations at variable temperatures in water depths of ~3000 m. Vigorous vapor phase bubbling, stable emanation of superhot fluid at 407 °C, and decreased salinity indicate phase separation at conditions above the CP at one site. At another site the measured maximum T of 464 °C during a 20 s interval is by far the hottest fluid ever measured at the seafloor and falls into the vapor-phase supercritical region of seawater. Besides these two separate fields with ongoing phase separation and extremely hot fluids, a third vent field emanates non-phase-separated fluids at 349 °C and is used as a reference site. Fluid chemistry shows that supercritical fluids evolve differently than subcritical fluids, making this vent system a unique natural laboratory to investigate processes at high P-T conditions. The stability of the high temperature and fluid geochemistry measured in 2005 and 2006 after the assumed seismic trigger event in 2002 supports this as an exceptional site along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.