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A serpentinite-hosted ecosystem in the Southern Mariana Forearc
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

A serpentinite-hosted ecosystem in the Southern Mariana Forearc

Yasuhiko Ohara, Mark K Reagan, Katsunori Fujikura, Hiromi Watanabe, Katsuyoshi Michibayashi, Teruaki Ishii, Robert J Stern, Ignacio Pujana, Fernando Martinez, Guillaume Girard, …
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.109(8), pp.2831-2835
02/21/2012
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1112005109
PMCID: PMC3286937
PMID: 22323611
url
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1112005109View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Several varieties of seafloor hydrothermal vents with widely varying fluid compositions and temperatures and vent communities occur in different tectonic settings. The discovery of the Lost City hydrothermal field in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has stimulated interest in the role of serpentinization of peridotite in generating H-2- and CH4-rich fluids and associated carbonate chimneys, as well as in the biological communities supported in highly reduced, alkaline environments. Abundant vesicomyid clam communities associated with a serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal vent system in the southern Mariana forearc were discovered during a DSV Shinkai 6500 dive in September 2010. We named this system the "Shinkai Seep Field (SSF)." The SSF appears to be a serpentinite-hosted ecosystem within a forearc (convergent margin) setting that is supported by fault-controlled fluid pathways connected to the decollement of the subducting slab. The discovery of the SSF supports the prediction that serpentinite-hosted vents may be widespread on the ocean floor. The discovery further indicates that these serpentinite-hosted low-temperature fluid vents can sustain high-biomass communities and has implications for the chemical budget of the oceans and the distribution of abyssal chemosynthetic life.
Multidisciplinary Sciences Science & Technology Science & Technology - Other Topics

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