Chemistry of hot springs on the East Pacific Rise and their effluent dispersal

Cold groundwater circulating through submarine ridge crests reacts with hot basalts at temperatures in excess of 300°C. The resulting solutions ascend and emerge as hot springs on the sea floor. This ridge crest hydrothermal activity is pervasive and chemically uniform. The fluxes of the various elements injected into, or removed from, the ocean are substantial compared with fluvial transport. The dispersal of the effluent is shown to be controlled by global circulation at mid-depth.