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MAR, 4 48'S
Name Alias(es):
Ascension
5 S, MAR
MGDS_FeatureID lowest in hierarchy:
Vent Sites:
Comfortless Cove (Foggy Corner, Golden Valley, Sisters Peak)
Red Lion (Shrimp Farm, Tannenbaum, Mephisto, Sugar Head)
Turtle Pits (One Boat, Southern Tower, Two Boats)
Wideawake
Activity:
Maximum Temperature:
407
Latitude:
-4.8058
Longitude:
-12.3742
Location on map:
Ocean:
Region:
National Jurisdiction:
Maximum or Single Reported Depth (mbsl):
3050
Minimum Depth (mbsl):
2990
Tectonic setting:
Full Spreading Rate (mm/a):
32.4
Host Rock:
MORB
Deposit Type:
NotProvided
Notes on Vent Field Description:
low-temperature, diffuse flow Wideawake mussel field; high-temperature Turtle Pits hydrothermal field with four active vent structures lies ~300 m west of the diffuse vent field and is characterized by boiling fluids; high-temperature Red Lion hydrothermal field lies ~2 km north of Turtle Pits; "temperatures in the vents were at least 407 C, and even reached 464 C for periods of 20 seconds" (http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn14456-found-the-hottest-water-on-earth.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=env1_head_Found:%20The%20hottest%20water%20on%20Earth)
Notes Relevant to Biology:
mussels, clams, shrimp
Year and How Discovered (if active, visual confirmation is listed first):
2005 AUV ABE (cruise CD169 ) followed by ROV Quest (cruise M64/1)
Discovery References (text):
(plume only) German et al. (2002) Hydrothermal Activity on the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. AGU Fall Meeting abstract #V61B-1361
German, CR et al. (2005) Hydrothermal Activity on the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Tectonically- and Volcanically-Hosted High Temperature Venting at 2-7 Degrees S. AGU Fall Meeting 2005, abstract #OS21C-04
Haase et al., Eos Trans. AGU, 86(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS21C-05, 2005, Hydrothermal Activity and Volcanism on the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Haase, KM et al. (2007) Young volcanism and related hydrothermal activity at 5°S on the slow-spreading southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS, VOL. 8, Q11002, doi:10.1029/2006GC001509.
Other References (text):
Koschinsky, A. et al (2006) Discovery of new hydrothermal vents on the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (4 S - 10 S) during cruise M68/1. InterRidge News 15: 9-15
Yoerger, D. et al. (2007) Mid-ocean ridge exploration with an autonomous underwater vehicle. Oceanography 20(4): 52-61
Koschinsky et al. (2008) Hydrothermal venting at pressure-temperature conditions above the critical point of seawater, 5°S on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Geology 36: 615-618, doi: 10.1130/G24726A.1.
RDF link: