Marine mineral exploration with controlled-source electromagnetics at the TAG hydrothermal field, 26N Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Abstract

Seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) deposits are of increasing economic interest in order to satisfy the relentless growth in worldwide metal demand. The Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) hydrothermal field at 26N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hosts several such deposits. This study presents new controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM), bathymetric and magnetic results from the TAG field. Potential SMS targets were selected based on their surface expressions in high-resolution bathymetric data. High-resolution reduced to-the-pole magnetic data show negative anomalies beneath and surrounding the SMS deposits, revealing large areas of hydrothermal alteration. CSEM data, sensitive to the electrical conductivity of SMS mineralization, further reveal a maximum thickness of up to 80 m and conductivities of up to 5 S/m. SMS samples have conductivities of up to a few thousand S/m, suggesting that remotely inferred conductivities represent an average of metal sulphide ores combined with silicified and altered host basalt that likely dominates at greater depths.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Romina Gehrmann: orcid.org/0000-0002-3099-2771

ORCID for Timothy Minshull: orcid.org/0000-0002-8202-1379

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