A Memorial doctoral student has created an empirical 3D model to demonstrate how hydrothermal fluid circulates beneath the seafloor.
Chris Galley, who is under the supervision of Drs. Colin Farquharson and John Jamieson in the Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, achieved the first-time feat.
“Many numerical models have been developed to predict the shape and behaviour of hydrothermal systems,” said Mr. Galley. “However, this study is the first to resolve an entire 3D convective cell upflow zone.”
Hydrothermal vents form on the seafloor when cold, dense seawater sinks into the seafloor and is drawn into the crust, where it is heated by magma.
As the hot water rises back up through the crust, it strips metals from the earth, permanently demagnetizing it. These metals are carried along the current and then deposited in the area around the vent.
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Image via Rich Blenkinsopp.