

FOLLOWUS
State Key Laboratory of Submarine Geoscience, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, China
yjwang@sio.org.cn
Received:08 April 2025,
Accepted:28 May 2025,
Online First:16 June 2025,
Published:01 March 2026
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XUE Wensheng,WANG Yejian,QIU Zhongyan,et al.Geochemical signatures of hydrothermal sediments on the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel Ridge, Arctic Ocean[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2026,44(02):603-615.
XUE Wensheng,WANG Yejian,QIU Zhongyan,et al.Geochemical signatures of hydrothermal sediments on the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel Ridge, Arctic Ocean[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2026,44(02):603-615. DOI: 10.1007/s00343-025-5112-2.
More than 721 submarine hydrothermal fields have been documented globally
however
the characterization of hydrothermal systems beneath the ice-covered Arctic Ocean remains poorly constrained. During the 2021 JASMInE expedition
a 369-cm-long sediment core was recovered from the central rift valley of the Gakkel Ridge 96°E. The core is predominantly composed of terrigenous debris
Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides
volcanic glass
and hydrogenetic Mn oxides. Three hydrothermal-affected layers (HA1–HA3) within the upper 85 centimeters below seafloor (cmbsf) exhibit enrichment in Fe
Cu
Pb
P
V
Mg
Ca
and Na
associated with accumulation of Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides and volcanic glass. Among these
Layer HA2 (13–16 centimeters below seafloor (cmbsf)) displays the most intense hydrothermal signature
characterized by high concentrations of Fe (12.06–15.22 wt.%)
Mn (2 687–5 465 μg/g)
Cu (245–373 μg/g)
and Pb (248–342 μg/g)
accompanied by reduced rare earth element (REE) concentrations
and shale-normalized patterns featuring negative Ce anomalies
and positive Eu anomalies. In comparison
Layers HA1 (83–85 cmbsf) and HA3 (6–7 cmbsf) exhibit only marginally elevated concentrations of hydrothermal-related elements (Fe
Cu
Pb
P
V) compared to pelagic background sediments
indicating a weaker hydrothermal influence. Overall
the observed coarsening of volcanic glass grain size and its increased abundance within hydrothermal-affected layers
coupled with diagnostic signatures from the Al-Fe-Mg ternary diagram and the detection of hydrothermal plume anomalies along the 100°E Axial Volcanic Ridge (AVR)
collectively point to a basalt-hosted hydrothermal system associated with the AVR as the source of the hydrothermal signals recorded in the core. These findings reveal the geochemical fingerprints of hydrothermal materials in Arctic deep-sea sediments
offering new insights into their sources and formation processes in the ice-covered ocean.
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