Collaborative Research: Modeling Hydrothermal Recharge and Outflow in Oceanic Crust Analogs with Sharp Permeability Gradients

海洋中脊轴线上海洋地壳的流体循环是地球失去内部热量的主要机制。在海底，这种循环将热流体释放到深海中。这些热液地点通常拥有地球上其他地方找不到的生态系统和生命形式，被认为是地球上生命可能起源的地方之一。热液喷吐经常发生在主要断层或断裂带或其附近，这表明海洋地壳中的这些断裂可以作为流体逸出的高渗透性管道。然而，目前尚不清楚地壳的这些断裂在多大程度上能使流体进入并向下移动到海底，在那里它们被加热。这项研究使用模拟实验，使用3d打印机和建模来探索海洋中脊的流体循环是如何自发组织的，并在高度断裂和断裂的地壳中传输热量。通过探索喷口位置与主要构造特征之间的关系，该研究有助于我们了解地热过程并在海底寻找新的热液位置。这项工作的更广泛影响包括研究和教育的整合，以及对三名早期职业研究者的支持，其中一名来自EPSCoR州（爱达荷州）的一所机构。研究结果的应用范围从陆地地下水水文学到地热能、碳封存和石油工业。本研究采用数值模拟实验对非均质渗透率对地下流动几何形状和热量提取的影响进行了描述和定量解释。使用3d打印机，我们将生成海洋地壳的塑料模拟物，其中包含一系列规则间隔的管道，这些管道将充当确定渗透率的流体通道。在这个可渗透基质中，将形成一个规定宽度、倾角和更大渗透率（通过更宽的管道实现）的平面槽，代表通常围绕活动断层的破坏区。打印出来的体积将被放置在一个玻璃壁的罐中，罐中含有葡萄糖和水的混合物。流体将从下方加热，从而引发多孔对流。颗粒图像测速、热致变色液晶以及体积顶部和底部的温度传感器的组合，可以量化流体补给和排放的位置，以及对流系统的热输出，因为渗透率对比和槽的几何形状是不同的。结果将与非均质介质中多孔对流的数值模型进行比较，然后外推到自然条件下。研究重点是预测高渗透断裂带圈闭和聚焦热液对流卷的条件。实验和理论相结合的方法将极大地为在靠近主要断层系统或靠近主要地壳非均质性的缓慢扩张的洋中脊上的目标热液点的调查提供信息。

Fluid circulation through the oceanic crust at the axis of mid-ocean ridges is a primary mechanism through which the Earth loses its internal heat. At the seafloor, this circulation releases hot fluids into the deep ocean. These hydrothermal sites typically host ecosystems and life forms found nowhere else on the planet and are thought to be one of the places on Earth where life may have originated. Hydrothermal fluid venting often occurs at or near major fault or fracture zones, suggesting that these breaks in the ocean crust can act as highly permeable conduits for fluids escape. It is unclear, however, to what extent these breaks in Earth's crust enable fluids to enter and move downward into the seafloor where they get heated. This research uses analog experiments, using a 3-D printer, and modeling to explore how fluid circulation at mid-ocean ridges spontaneously organizes itself and transports heat in highly fractured and faulted crust. By allowing exploration of the relation between venting sites and major tectonic features, the research facilitates our understanding of geothermal processes and the search for new hydrothermal sites on the seafloor. Broader impacts of the work include integration of research and education and support of three early career investigators, one from an institution in an EPSCoR state (Idaho). Results have applications ranging from terrestrial groundwater hydrology to geothermal energy, carbon sequestration, and the oil industry.This research employs numerical and analog experiments to describe and quantitatively explain the effect of heterogeneous permeability on subsurface flow geometry and heat extraction. Using a 3-D printer, we will generate plastic analogs of oceanic crust, containing a series of regularly spaced tubes that will act as fluid pathways of defined permeability. Within this permeable matrix, a planar slot of prescribed width, inclination, and greater permeability (achieved through wider tubes) will be created, representing the damage zone that typically surrounds active faults. The printed volume will be placed in a glass-walled tank containing a mixture of glucose and water. The fluid will be heated from below to initiate porous convection. A combination of particle image velocimetry, thermo-chromic liquid crystals, and temperature sensors at the top and bottom of the volume will allow quantification of the locations of fluid recharge and discharge and the heat output of the convective system as the permeability contrast and geometry of the slot is varied. Results will be compared to numerical models of porous convection in heterogeneous media and then extrapolated to natural conditions. The research will focus on predicting the conditions under which high-permeability fault zones can trap and focus hydrothermal convection rolls. The combined experimental and theoretical approach will greatly inform the investigation of targeted hydrothermal sites on slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges that sit next to major fault systems or near major crustal heterogeneities.