Untitled

Abstract

Almost two-thirds of Earth's submarine volcanism is expressed in the ocean basins along the ~65,000 km long mid-ocean-ridge (MOR) system, but the remaining third takes place along intraoceanic arcs and seamounts. The 22,000 km long intraoceanic arc system appears to surpass the MOR system in terms of both the frequency of hydrothermal activity, with several sites per 100 km of arc, and the range in chemical composition of the fluids being discharged.Hydrothermal systems hosted by submarine arc volcanoes differ substantially from those in spreading environments in that they commonly contain a large component of magmatic fluid. Our primary scientific goal is to discover the fundamental underlying processes that develop as a consequence of this difference. A magmatic-hydrothermal signature, coupled with the shallow depths of arc volcanoes and their high-volatile contents, strongly influences the chemistry of fluids and the resulting mineralization and likely has important consequences for the biota associated with these systems. Because of the high metal contents and very acidic fluids, these hydrothermal systems are also thought to be important analogs of many porphyry copper and epithermal gold deposits mined today on land.Drilling at Brothers volcano on the Kermadec arc will provide the missing link (i.e., the third dimension) in our understanding of mineral deposit formation along arcs, the subseafloor architecture of these volcanoes and their related permeability, as well as the relationship between the discharge of magmatic fluids and the deep biosphere. Expedition 376 will drill and log two caldera sites, one on the rim of the caldera and a second inside the caldera, and a third site at the summit of a volcanic cone, located inside the caldera at Brothers. These sites represent discharge zones of geochemically distinct fluids that are variably affected by magmatic volatile input, allowing us to directly address the consequences of magma degassing for metal transport to the seafloor and its effect on the functioning of microbial communities. Drilling will provide access to critical zones dominated by magma degassing and high-temperature hydrothermal circulation over depth intervals regarded as crucial, not only in the development of multiphase mineralizing systems but also in identifying subsurface microbially habitable environments. The specific objectives of Expedition 376 are• To characterize the subvolcano, magma chamber-derived volatile phase to test model-based predictions that this is either a single-phase gas or two-phase brine-vapor; • To determine the subseafloor distribution of base and precious metals and metalloids and the reactions that have taken place along pathways to the seafloor; • To quantify the mechanisms and extent of fluid-rock interaction and consequences for mass transfer of metals and metalloids into the ocean and the role of magmatically derived carbon and sulfur species in mediating these fluxes; and • To assess the diversity, extent, and metabolic pathways of microbial li...

Heat Flow and Near‐Seafloor Magnetic Anomalies Highlight Hydrothermal Circulation at Brothers Volcano Caldera, Southern Kermadec Arc, New Zealand

“…The caldera floor is characterized by hummocky terrane, likely derived by slump material from the walls and the cones, with small-amplitude sediment waves likely formed by downslope sediment flow (Embley et al, 2012). Multichannel seismics suggest that the caldera is filled with volcaniclastic sediments and intercalated lavas between the caldera floor and the underlying basement (de Ronde et al, 2017). A short core recovered at IODP site U1529 (see the supporting information) is also characterized by dacitic composition (de Ronde, Humphris, Höfig, & the Expedition 376 Scientists, 2019).…”

Critical role of caldera collapse in the formation of seafloor mineralization: The case of Brothers volcano

“…C). The bold, dashed line represents the base of the caldera collapse, as seen in the seismic section(de Ronde et al, 2017). The distance between the summit of the inferred original stratovolcano and the floor of the caldera is ~1950 m and signifies both material expelled during the eruption and subsidence due to magma withdrawal.…”

Potential for Porphyry Copper Deposits in Northern Tōhoku (or the Exploration Potential for Base and Precious Metal Deposits in Japan 2020)

“…Recently, research on active submarine systems has focused increasingly on hydrothermal venting in submarine volcanic arcs (de Ronde et al, 2014;Petersen et al, 2016), such as those discovered in the Izu-Bonin, Mariana, and Kermadec arcs (Hannington et al, 2010;de Ronde et al, 2011). Indeed, a deep-ocean drilling expedition scheduled for mid-2018 to Brothers volcano in the Kermadec arc (de Ronde et al, 2017) will test, among other scientific objectives, the existence of metallic mineralization at depths of several hundred meters beneath the ocean floor below the flanks of a stratovolcano, an environment fundamentally similar to that of porphyry-type deposits. Envisioning the potential for such mineralization within the paleovolcanic front of northern Honshu during the middle Miocene (Fig.…”