"Continental Smokers": evaluating mantle degassing, CO2 flux, geomicrobiology, and water quality in extensional continental regimes

这项研究挑战了一个普遍的概念，大多数全球二氧化碳脱气发生在大洋中脊和陆上火山通过评估大陆伸展区脱气。要测试的假设是，有大量的和未被识别的向上流动的流体和气体从地球深处上升，通过在格兰德河裂谷和其他构造活跃地区的美国西部的喷口。这些流体往往作为碳酸盐沉积（碳酸盐）泉，降低区域水质，释放碳到大气中，并支持不同的微生物生态系统。 这项研究将收集关于主要泉水系统和相关地下水的地球化学特征（包括微量元素、稳定同位素和惰性气体分析）随时间变化的数据，以评估微震活动触发平流输送和脱气的假设。 微生物采样和DNA扩增将用于比较这些？欧洲的吸烟者？到沿着海洋扩张中心的黑人和白色吸烟者。 这项研究将支持研究生和本科生的培训，以及一个博物馆展览，介绍阿根廷的泉水及其地质和水文意义。

This study challenges a widespread notion that most global CO2 degassing takes place at mid-ocean ridges and subaerial volcanoes by evaluating degassing in continental extensional areas. The hypothesis to be tested is that there is a substantial and unrecognized upward flux of fluids and gases from deep within the earth that rise through vents in the Rio Grande rift and other tectonically-active regions of the western U.S. These fluids often issue as carbonate-depositing (travertine) springs, degrade regional water quality, release carbon to the atmosphere, and support distinct microbial ecosystems. This study will gather data on time-variations in the geochemical character (including trace element, stable isotope and noble gas analysis) of major spring systems and associated groundwaters to evaluate a hypothesis that microseismicity is triggering advective transport and degassing. Microbial sampling and DNA amplification will be used to compare these ?continental smokers? to black and white smokers known along oceanic spreading centers. The study will support graduate and undergraduate training, as well as a museum exhibit on travertine springs and their geological and hydrologic significance.