The NE Lau Basin - Widespread and abundant hydrothermal venting in the back-arc region behind a superfast subduction zone
Baker, E.T., S.L. Walker, G.J. Massoth, and J.A. Resing (2019): The NE Lau Basin: Widespread and abundant hydrothermal venting in the back-arc region behind a superfast subduction zone. Front. Mar. Sci., 6, 382, Pacific Deep-Sea Discoveries: Geological and Biological Exploration, Patterns, and Processes. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00382
Fluids in the Earth’s crust are heated by magma rising to the seafloor where tectonic plates separate or collide.
![Ridge spreading rate and spatial density of active hydrothermal sites Ridge spreading rate and spatial density of active hydrothermal sites](https://pmel.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/2019%20October_%20Baker%20et%20al.jpg?itok=kvzf0f59)
Relationship between the spreading rate of ridges and the spatial density (sites/100 km) of active hydrothermal sites on a given ridge segment. Higher spreading rates produce a greater magma supply to drive hydrothermal venting. In the Lau Basin, site production is ~10x higher than on other mid-ocean ridges. Red box in inset: NE Lau Basin.