US-Russian-Norwegian Investigation of Gas Hydrate and Hydrothermal Activity in Ancient and Recent Plate Boundaries Within the Norwegian-Greenland and Barents Seas

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During the summer of 1995, a joint US-Norwegian-Russian Expedition in the Norwegian-Greenland and Barents Sea discovered a warm gas vent located on an ancient fracture zone known as the Hornsund Fault, at great distance from known present-day plate boundaries in the region. The vent was characterized by high heat flow, clathrates, H2S, and an unknown species of Pogonophore worm. This award is to return rapidly back to the site, to map in detail, the extent of the vent domain using a Russian vessel equipped with side-looking sonar and ROV. In addition, it is to investigate likely sites along the Knipovich Ridge for recent hydrothermal activity. It is believed that the examination of the warm gas vents along the margin of the Barents Sea may shed new light on the degree of thermal rejuvenation of ancient plate boundaries in the region, and the possible role that warn vents in the Arctic region may play on deglaciation events, either in modern settings on land (such as Spitsbergen) or in ancient glaciated regions, such as the Bear Island Fan.