Transport of Heat by Hydrothermal Circulation in a Young Rift Setting: Observations From the Auka and Jaichmaa Ja'ag' Vent Field in the Pescadero Basin, Southern Gulf of California

Abstract

Hydrothermal vent fields on the ridge flanks of oceanic basins are the loci of an enormous exchange of heat and solutes transported by fluids between the oceanic crust and overlying water masses (Lister, 1972;Sleep & Wolery, 1978;Wolery & Sleep, 1976). Moreover, seafloor hydrothermal circulation plays a critical role in our planet's thermal cooling and dynamic evolution. Considering that nearly 25% of the Earth's heat is lost by hydrothermal circulation through the oceanic crust (Lowell et al., 1995), it is evident that active venting