Physiology, Geology And Sulfide Deposits Of The Southern Explorer Ridge Seafloor Hydrothermal Site Using An Integrated GIS Database And 3D Modeling

Southern Explorer Ridge (SER) is an anomalously shallow, intermediate-rate spreading ridge located 200 kilometers off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. It ranges in depth between 2600 m (deepest basins) and 1760 m (bathymetric minimum). At least 60 sulfide deposits are known to be associated with hydrothermal vent fields along the ridge. For the first time geological data, including deposit locations, collected from 15 marine expeditions to SER since 1983 have been assembled in a GIS format. GIS processing techniques were employed to plot the distribution of base metal concentrations for recovered sulfide samples. The highest base metal concentrations are found in the vicinity of the Magic Mountain site (main active vent field), and also proximal to a side scan sonar anomaly referred to as AGOR 171. Individual samples near these locations have yielded values as high as 29.3 wt\% Cu, 34.3 wt\% zinc, 0.97 wt\% Pb, 2.0 ppm gold, and 664 ppm silver. Sample paucity is the key limiting factor that prevents adequate assessment of the areas economic potential.