A submersible study of the products of a large submarine eruption demonstrates the influence of the ocean on eruption dynamics.

The Okinawa Trough is a back-arc basin behind the Ryukyu trench-arc system and located along the eastern margin of the Eurasian continent. Sulfide and sulfate mineralization associated with hydrothermal activity has been recognized in ten hydrothermal fields in the Okinawa Trough. Hydrothermal mineralization recognized in these fields is commonly represented by coexisting occurrence of zinc-and lead-enriched polymetallic sulfides and abundant sulfate minerals. The mineralogy and geochemical signatures present has led researchers to suggest these areas may be a modern analogue for the formation of ancient Kuroko-type volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. Recent seafloor drilling during IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program) Expedition 331 documented the subseafloor structure of a hydrothermal system at the Iheya North Knoll. Mineral textures and hydrothermal assemblages present in the drilled cores obtained from a hydrothermal mound in the proximal area are consistent with Kuroko-type mineralization. Based on geochemical studies, the intra-field diversity of mineralization commonly recognized in the Okinawa Trough can be explained by subseafloor phase separation of the hydrothermal fluid, which reflects shallow water depth (from 700 to 1,600 m). The subseafloor phase separation may. play an important role to accumulate metal elements beneath the seafloor. Based on geophysical and geological studies, the Okinawa Trough is considered a back-arc basin in the rifting stage. Such a tectonic setting is characterized by development of normal faulting in brittle continental crust and frequent intrusion of a magma, which can be expected to provide favorable environment for development of a hydrothermal system Keywords

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Understanding clast dispersal from subaqueous volcanism is hampered by uncertainty in the source and extent of seafloor deposits. Extensive sampling in situ of seafloor deposits from the 2012 submarine eruption of Havre volcano provides an ideal opportunity to assess subaqueous dispersal. The 2012 Havre eruption produced 14 lavas/domes, a pumice raft, and three seafloor clastic deposits. At Havre the source of clastic deposits can be confidently identified, and deposit thickness, grain size, and distribution are also well-constrained. We examine a seafloor deposit termed subunit 3 (S3) generated in the 2012 Havre eruption to investigate dispersal of fine lapilli and ash, and the eruption conditions that generated this deposit. Subunit 3 is the third from bottom of four subunits that make up the Ash with Lapilli unit. Subunit 3 is composed of ash with highly elongate shapes, unique within the 2012 Havre deposits. It thickens and coarsens toward Lava G, also generated in the 2012 eruption, located on the southwest wall of Havre caldera. Lava G is the only lava produced during the 2012 Havre eruption that has a glassy carapace with elongated vesicles and a fibrous texture. We infer the source of unit S3 is Lava G, due to the spatial pattern of deposit thinning and fining away with distance from this lava, and the morphological and microtextural similarity of ash with the Lava G carapace rock. Grain size and transport distance of ash from S3 are used to test a simple 1D model addressing both clast dispersal by a buoyant thermal plume above an explosive eruption, and by penetrative convection during effusive lava emplacement. Comparison of calculated maximum dispersal distances with grain size and transport distance show that a jet forming eruption generating a turbulent plume is required to generate S3. We suggest that S3 was generated by hybrid explosive-effusive activity during the effusion of Lava G. Using model results we calculate maximum clast dispersal distances across a range of grain sizes for both dispersal mechanisms. The calculated maximum clast dispersal distance has wide implications globally for interpretation of ash deposits from subaqueous eruptions.

The mid-Okinawa Trough is recognized as an area with extensive volcanism and hydrothermal activity. The Iheya Graben is a depression in the mid-Okinawa Trough, extending approximately 100 km in an ENE-WSW strike. The graben lies 200 m below the surrounding flat-surfaced trough floor (from À1,400 to À1,600 m below sea level). The latest seismic profiles in the western Iheya Graben and adjacent areas reveal numerous normal faults, possibly in association with the rifting activity of the Okinawa Trough. The faulting of the Iheya Graben is non-listric syn-depression faulting, in contrast with dense listric faulting of the adjacent trough floor. The faulting in both areas consists of numerous seafloor-reaching active faults; however, recent activity is concentrated within the Iheya Graben. Non-listric faulting in the Iheya Graben shapes its present structure with large displacements. The displacements and fault propagations indicate the depression of the Iheya Graben was created with an abrupt flexural subsidence followed by extension with normal faulting. The event occurred largely before the formation of the overlying Iheya Ridge, which was reported to be at least 0.2 Ma. Such a significant event may be related to the present extensive volcanism in the region by means of rifting tectonics and magmatism.