Other
Scientific paper
Jul 1996
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996e%26psl.142..147a&link_type=abstract
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 142, Issue 1-2, p. 147-159.
Other
1
Scientific paper
The Atlantis II Deep is located on the Red Sea axial rift. It is a topographic depression enclosing a volume of about 17 km3 between 1,900 m and 2,200 m depth that contains layered brines of temperatures up to 66°C and salinities up to 270‰. Previous geochemical investigations showed that the hot brines result from discharge of hydrothermal solutions that have exchanged heat and chemical components with the basaltic substratum. The last investigation of the Deep in 1992 showed that the brines occurred in four well mixed layers with the shallowest at a depth of 2,000 m. The temperature and salinity profiles describe a transition zone from 2,000 m to 1,900 m, above which Red Sea water occurs. The distribution of temperature and salt in this transition zone appears to be controlled by the topography of the Deep. The hydrographic structure of the brine column has been documented in the literature for seven time intervals between 1966 and 1992. Examination of these data shows that the system changed with time. The evolution of the entire package of brines that fill the Deep shows the following changes: (1) the temperature of the brines increased; (2) the salinity of the solutions increased; (3) the two brine layers described in 1966 still existed in 1992, but new layers appeared above them; (4) for 26 years, almost all additional heat and salt supplied in the Deep were confined to the depression and were not dispersed into the overlying seawater. The fourth point indicates that a heat and salt balance for the Deep can be calculated. The calculation of the heat that entered into the system was divided into two components: the temperature increase of the brines and the heat loss at the wall-rock; the latter component was negligible. The rate of heat input to the Deep was constant during the period considered, and amounted to 0.54 × 109 W. The salt input was also constant, and equalled 250-350 kg/s. During the period 1966-1992, heat and salt were most probably supplied by a hydrothermal solution with an average range of flow rate, temperature, and salinity of 670-1000 kg/s, 195-310°C, and 270-370‰, respectively.
Anschutz Pierre
Blanc Gérard
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