China Grabbed the “White-submarine Chimney” for the First Time in South-West Indian Ocean
Source: www.mlr.gov.cn Citation: www.chinamining.com.cn Date: Feb. 25, 2014
18:30 Feb-18, at the 8th operation station in the second leg of the 30th ocean exploratory voyage, Vessel “Da Yang Yi Hao” successfully grabbed 3 blocks of columnar carbonate rock and a section of carbonate “Chimney stack” by using video from the South-West Indian Ocean poly-metallic sulfide exploration contract zone.
On site sampling the chief scientist Tao Chunhui said: “We’ve got the rock sample of carbonate, but no evidence related to hydrothermal activity. Thus, getting the ‘White submarine chimney has an importance value on the research of the relationship of carbonate and hydrothermal activity in this area.”
The samples grabbed in this underwater operation include carbonate, ‘carbonate chimney’ and calcareous ooze. There is a ring-shaped structure in the inner of the complete carbonate chimney, with branches, pores and biological attachments; we preliminarily deduced that is related to the low temperature hydrothermal activity. And this is the first classic carbonate chimney stack China got in South-east Indian Ocean up to now.”
According to Tao Chunhui, China expedition team got a big quantity of carbonate samples in this area. But unfortunately, they haven’t gained the ‘chimney stack’ sample which is relevant to hydrothermal activity.”
China University of Geosciences professor Xu Qidong, the geological sample description stuff of the second leg, analyzed: “The discovery of the chimney is relevant to the carbonate and the low temperature hydrothermal activity in the area. The similar rocks we found in the adjoining area must be the same sort of things, which is helpful for us doing research and determining the scope of hydrothermal zone. Despite the sample is not only tiny and small, but it can lead to the break of the research of carbonate genesis of the South-east Indian Ocean.”
The scientist from Russia marine geology institute viewing the whole journey said that he used to see the carbonate chimney from the Atlantic Ocean. China’s successful grabbing of carbonate chimney was excellent evidence. （Lu Tao）(Translated by TLRHVC)
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