Geochemical characteristics of hydrothermal plumes above the TAG and Broken Spur fields of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

The paper reports data on the distribution of solute (Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd) and particulate (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Co) species of metals in hydrothermal plumes above the active TAG and Broken Spur hydrothermal fields (26° N and 29° N in the MAR rift valley, respectively). Sediment-trap data on fluxes of hydrothermal-sedimentary material in the areas indicate that (i) the predominant Zn source for the metalliferous sediments at the TAG field is material precipitating from a plume of neutral buoyancy, and (ii) the predominant source of Fe and Co is redeposited ore material coming from the area of extensive settling of sulfides.