Exploring Hydrothermal System Response to Magma Supply and Crustal Thickness Gradients Along the Galapagos Spreading Center 2005

In December 2005 and January 2006, an interdisciplinary team of 38 scientists ventured to a deep sea site north of the Galapagos Islands to conduct research on the Galapagos Spreading Center, which is part of the global mid-ocean ridge. The global mid-ocean ridge is a giant volcanic seam where oceanic plates repeatedly rip apart and erupt lava to form new seafloor, in a process known as "seafloor spreading." Nearly one-fifth of the "spreading centers" comprising the mid-ocean ridge lie directly above or very near "hotspots" in the Earth's mantle. At oceanic hotspots, melting plumes of hot rock rise from deep in the Earth's mantle and erupt lava at the seafloor to form seamounts and volcanic islands. The portion of the Galapagos Spreading Center where our surveys took place was completely unexplored for hydrothermal vents and other fine-scale seafloor features. Using towed near-bottom sonars, hydrothermal plume sensors, and cameras, we sought to uncover hydrothermal, geological and biological responses to magma supply and crustal thickness along our survey region.