Evidence of recent volcanic activity on the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel ridge

Publication Status is "Submitted" Or "In Press: 
LDEO Publication: 
Publication Type: 
Year of Publication: 
2001
Editor: 
Journal Title: 
Nature
Journal Date: 
Feb 15
Place Published: 
Tertiary Title: 
Volume: 
409
Issue: 
6822
Pages: 
808-812
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Publisher: 
ISBN Number: 
0028-0836
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Edition: 
Short Title: 
Accession Number: 
ISI:000166938800037
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Abstract: 

Seafloor spreading is accommodated by volcanic and tectonic processes along the global mid-ocean ridge system. As spreading rate decreases the influence of volcanism also decreases(1-4), and it is unknown whether significant volcanism occurs at all at ultraslow spreading rates (<1.5 cm yr(-1)). Here we present three-dimensional sonar maps of the Gakkel ridge, Earth's slowest-spreading mid-ocean ridge, located in the Arctic basin under the Arctic Ocean ice canopy. We acquired this data using hull-mounted sonars attached to a nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Hawkbill. Sidescan data for the ultraslow-spreading (<similar to>1.0 cm yr(-1)) eastern Gakkel ridge depict two young volcanoes covering approximately 720 km(2) of an otherwise heavily sedimented axial valley. The western volcano coincides with the average location of epicentres for more than 250 teleseismic events detected(5,26) in 1999, suggesting that an axial eruption was imaged shortly after its occurrence. These findings demonstrate that eruptions along the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel ridge are focused at discrete locations and appear to be more voluminous and occur more frequently than was previously thought.

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401QCTimes Cited:22Cited References Count:26

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