Chemical hydrology of subduction zones: Processes, signals and fluid flow

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Subduction zones play a central role in the geological activity of the earth. This activity may be expressed as devastating events such as earthquakes, tsunamis and explosive volcanism. Many processes that lead to such catastrophic behavior are driven by fluids. This study focuses on the chemical hydrology of the shallow portion (<15 km) of subduction zones to shed light on processes that enable subducting sediments to behave seismogenically. Low-chlorinity and volatile content of near surface fluids in active convergent margins suggest that fluids migrate updip from deep sources. The exotic fluid composition, which has been documented for several active convergent margins, is thought to depend on temperature driven clay mineral dehydration. This assumption is hampered by observed low-chlorinity fluids away from fluid pathways that suggest additional fluid freshening mechanisms. Most importantly, a suite of water-rock processes has been hypothesized to occur at depth to enable stick-slip behavior but are only documented in fossil accretionary prisms but not in active ones. To tackle these problems the proposed study will analyze fluids extracted from laboratory hydrothermal compaction tests and natural fluids from two contrary active margins, the accretionary Nankai Trough (Japan) and the erosional Costa Rica margin. The hydrothermal device is a unique approach compared to other hydrothermal systems because it simulates in-situ burial conditions with increasing effective stress (P), decreasing porosity and increasing temperatures (T up to 150°C). Sediment end members of each margin will be tested under controlled PT conditions similar to the upper limit of the seismogenic zone to study clay dehydration and water-rock interaction using major and volatile element geochemistry and boron and lithium isotopes. Geochemical fingerprints from the hydrothermal tests will be used to better distinguish geochemical signals in natural fluids. Thus, a better insight into water-rock interaction and fluid flow in the subduction zones will be achieved.