Big Blue Vent
Latitude: 18.1107οN Longitude: 147.1015οE Depth: 1235 m bsl
Big Blue Seamount is a serpentinite mud volcano in the Mariana forearc (Fryer et al., 2006). Studies of Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 60 cores suggest that Big Blue Seamount may have been active since the Middle Eocene (∼45 Ma) (Fryer et al., 2012). Pore fluids from Big Blue Seamount are low in Ca, Sr and high in carbonate alkalinity (Mottl et al., 2004; Hulme et al., 2010). Also Big Blue pore water has a very high K and Rb concentrations compared to those of Blue Moon, NE Quaker and Cerulean Springs forearc vent sites (Hulme et al., 2010). The higher Rb/K ratio at Big Blue, suggests a basaltic source for these pore waters (Hulme et al., 2010). Biologically Big blue is associated with archaea as well as some macro-organisms like crinoids, anemones and fish (Curtis et al., 2013; JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI)).
Table 1: Operations history for Big Blue vent
| Ship/ Platform | Year | Dive Number | References |
| TN-154 Thompson ROV Jason-2 | 2003 April | J2-034 to J2-036 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: ROV JASON/MEDEA: Operations Summary (note: click “Files- operations summary”) |
| YK03-07 Yokosuka/ Shinkai 6500 | 2003 | 783 | YK03-07 cruise report |
Table 2: Vent activity and host rocks
| Activity and Host Rocks | References | |
| Activity | May have been active since the
Middle Eocene (~45 Ma) |
Fryer., 2012 |
| Host Rocks | Muds are mainly Serpentinite | Fryer., 2012 |
Table 3: Vent fluid characteristics
| Bottom seawater | Vent Fluids | References | |
| Distance from
the trench (km) |
70 km | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal | |
| Maximum flow (cm/yr) | 36.3 | Hulme et al., 2010 | |
| pH | 8 | 12.33 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Composition | Low in Ca and high
in carbonate alkalinity |
Mottl et al., 2004; Holm et al., 2009 | |
| Alkalinity (meq/kg) | 2.3 | 69 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Clorinity (mmol/kg) | 542 | 546 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Mn (μmol/kg) | 0 | 0.08 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Sulfate (mmol/kg) | 28 | 31 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Mg (mmol/kg) | 52.4 | 0.2 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Ca (mmol/kg) | 10.2 | 0.3 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Na (mmol/kg) | 466 | 660 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Na/Cl (molar) | 0.86 | 1.21 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| K (mmol/kg) | 10.1 | 13.9 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Li (μmol/kg) | 26 | 0.8 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Rb (μmol/kg) | 1.37 | 2.6 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Cs (μmol/kg) | 0.0022 | 0.315 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Sr (μmol/kg) | 90 | 0.315 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| Ba (μmol/kg) | 0.14 | 0.05 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
| B (μmol/kg) | 410 | 1250 | IODP-MCME 366 Proposal |
* IODP-MCME 366- International Ocean Discovery Program-Mariana Convergent Margin Expedition 366.
Table 4: Vent Biology
| General name | Phylum | Class/Order | Genus/
Species |
References |
| Archaea | Crenarchaeota | Mottl et al., 2003
Curtis et al., 2013 |
||
| Archaea | Euryarchaeota | Mottl et al., 2003
Curtis et al., 2013 |
||
| Coral / Sea anemone | Cnidaria | Alcyonacea | JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI) (note: search “Big Blue”) | |
| Crinoid | Echinodermata | Comatulida | JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI) (note: search “Big Blue”) | |
| Crinoid | Echinodermata | JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI) (note: search “Big Blue”) | ||
| Fish | Chordata | Anguilliformes | JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI) (note: search “Big Blue”) | |
| Fish | Chordata | Actinopterygii | JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI) (note: search “Big Blue”) | |
| Shark | Chordata | Apristurus | JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI) (note: search “Big Blue”) |
Images:
- JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI) (note: search “Big Blue”)
Video Links:
- JAMSTEC E-library of Deep-sea Images (J-EDI) (note: search “Big Blue”)
References:
- Curtis, A. C., Wheat, C. G., Fryer, P., Moyer, C. L., 2013. Mariana Forearc Serpentinite Mud Volcanoes Harbor Novel Communities of Extremophilic Archaea. Geomicrobiology Journal 30 (5), 430-441.
- Fryer, P., 2012. Serpentinite mud volcanism: observations, processes, and implications. Annual Review of Marine Science 4, 345-373.
- Fryer, P., Gharib, J., Ross, K., Savov, I., Mottl, M. J., 2006. Variability in serpentinite mudflow mechanisms and sources: ODP drilling results on Mariana forearc seamounts. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 7 (8), Q08014, doi: 10.1029/2005GC001201.
- Hulme, S. M., Wheat, C. G., Fryer, P., Mottl, M. J., 2010. Pore water chemistry of the Mariana serpentinite mud volcanoes: A window to the seismogenic zone. Geochemistry geophysics geosysems 11 (1), Q01X09, doi: 10.1029/2009GC002674.
- Mottl, M. J., Wheat, C. G., Fryer, P., Gharib, J., Martin, J. B., 2004. Chemistry of springs across the Mariana forearc shows progressive devolatilization of the subducting plate. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 68 (23), 4915–4933.
Website References:
- JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology) E-library of Deep-sea Images (JEDI) http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/jedi/public/Sec102.jsf (accessed 11/24/2015)
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: ROV JASON/MEDEA: Operations Summary http://www.whoi.edu/main/jason/operations-summary (accessed 11/24/2015)
Website References:
- IODP Mariana Convergent Margin Expedition 366, unpublished IODP proposal http://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/precruise/mariana/505-Full5.pdf (accessed 01/19/2016).
- Yokosuka Cruise Report YK03-07 http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/catalog/data/doc_catalog/media/YK03-07_all.pdf