Collaborative Research: U and Th decay series dating of seafloor hydrothermal deposits

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Seafloor hydrothermal deposits form on time-scales of minutes to thousands of years, are products of significant heat and mass transfer from the oceanic crust to the oceans, and form in conjunction with activity that supports significant life in the deep-sea. Understanding time-scales over which these deposits form and whether they form continuously or episodically can provide important information about (1) energy and mass transfer between the ocean and crust; (2) environments, speciation rates, larvae dispersal, energy, and nutrient sources for hydrothermal biological communities; and (3) relationships between hydrothermal structure, crustal structure, and heat transfer within the crust. Unfortunately, there are currently no dependable methods to confidently date seafloor hydrothermal deposits to help us constrain some of these major processes. The most promising method involves measuring the radioactive decay of isotopes in the 238U- and 232Th- decay chains. The half-lives of target isotopes (238U-234U-230Th-226Ra-210Pb-210Po; 232Th-228Ra-228Th) range from 138 days to 75 kyrs, and allow investigation of samples ranging from ~1 to 105 years. These time-scales are appropriate for geologically young seafloor hydrothermal deposits. In addition, application of these isotopes is uniquely suited for dating minerals formed in seafloor hydrothermal deposits because geochemical processes isolate specific parent-daughter pairs in the U- and Th- series that can be exploited for age information. The motivation for this research is based on scientific need for a reliable method for dating seafloor hydrothermal deposits and to test the assumptions required for realization of the full potential of the 238U- and 232Th- method. This research combines a solid understanding of hydrothermal processes with high-precision isotopic measurements to rigorously test the assumptions that are central to full development of the analytical method and interpretation of the results and their application to seafloor hydrothermal vent chimney deposits. Goals will be to define the utility and limitations of the method and, hopefully, enable reliable dating of hydrothermal vent deposits of unknown age. The data produced on samples of known age, together with measurements of additional samples of unknown age, will be used to investigate the time-scales of hydrothermal processes at three distinct locations. Samples selected for analysis are in-hand and from (1) the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse hydrothermal system (i.e., TAG); (2) the PACMANUS hydrothermal field in the Manus Basin in the Pacific Ocean near New Guinea; and (3) the Eastern Lau Spreading Center/Valu Fa Ridge in the Lau Basin of the western Pacific. Broader impacts of the study include the development of new analytical techniques and age pairs for geological applications, implications for ore deposit formation, public outreach, and broad dissemination of results to K-12 teachers, students, and the general public. Support of a graduate student and support of an institution in an EPSCoR stated (Wyoming) are additional impacts.