In Search of Hydrothermal Lost Cities: Searching for Serpentinization-Driven Hydrothermal Activity on Oceanic Core Complexes of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

(FKt230303)

Expedition Overview

From March 3-April 11, 2023, a team of researchers will search for new examples of serpentinization-driven hydrothermal venting on the seafloor near the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This will be the first expedition on Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Research Vessel Falkor (too).

Proposed track for the In Search of Hydrothermal Lost Cities expedition. The primary target areas are a non-transform offset of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 24.7°N, the east ridge-transform intersection of the Kane Fracture Zone, two hydrothermal fields on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the east ridge-transform intersection of the Fifteen-Twenty Fracture Zone.
Proposed track for the In Search of Hydrothermal Lost Cities expedition. The primary target areas are a non-transform offset of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 24.7°N, the east ridge-transform intersection of the Kane Fracture Zone, two hydrothermal fields on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the east ridge-transform intersection of the Fifteen-Twenty Fracture Zone. Image courtesy of David Butterfield. Download largest version (jpg, 1.06 MB).

In 2000, the discovery of the Lost City hydrothermal vent field near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge revealed a new kind of hydrothermal system driven by serpentinization. Serpentinization is a heat-producing chemical reaction between seawater and mantle rocks that provides a source of chemical energy for life in the deep ocean. This type of venting is not well documented or understood.

To learn more about it, this research team will search for other "lost city" style vents. They will use ship-based multibeam mapping to guide operations; conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) systems to detect signs of venting in the water column (e.g., physical or chemical changes); two mapping autonomous underwater vehicles to locate the vents; and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian to collect imagery; samples of fluids, rocks, and marine life; and more.

Specific research objectives include deploying a recently developed sensor on SuBastian for measuring methane in situ in real time, enabling instant confirmation of active venting, and collecting and analyzing samples of microbes and viruses from water column, seafloor, and sub-seafloor habitats.

With this project, the team aims to improve our understanding of this form of hydrothermal activity, in particular its prevalence and geochemical and ecological significance.

ROV dives will be livestreamed on the Schmidt Ocean Institute website, which will also feature an expedition-specific page with videos and blogs.

This is a collaborative project involving Schmidt Ocean Institute, NOAA Ocean Exploration, NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, the University of Washington, Oregon State University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), the University of Victoria, University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, and IFREMER (Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer).

Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor (too) is a 110-meter (361-foot) global-class research vessel that provides philanthropic support for ocean research and marine technology development as a state-of-the-art facility offered at no cost to scientists around the world.
Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor (too) is a 110-meter (361-foot) global-class research vessel that provides philanthropic support for ocean research and marine technology development as a state-of-the-art facility offered at no cost to scientists around the world. Image courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute. Download largest version (jpg, 1.2 MB).
This Lost City carbonate tower was imaged during the National Science Foundation-supported project Return to the Lost City 2018.
This Lost City carbonate tower was imaged during the National Science Foundation-supported project Return to the Lost City 2018. Image courtesy of Susan Lang, University of South Carolina/National Science Foundation/ROV Jason 2018 ©WHOI. Download largest version (jpg, 567 KB).
Dave Butterfield checks fluid connections to the recently developed methane sensor (large black pressure case) on remotely operated vehicle Jason’s tool sled during a field test in 2022.
Dave Butterfield checks fluid connections to the recently developed methane sensor (large black pressure case) on remotely operated vehicle Jason’s tool sled during a field test in 2022. Image courtesy of Andrew Fahrland (OKSI). Download largest version (jpg, 999 KB).

Published March 3, 2023