Image: Tiny crystals called zircons are used to date oceanic crust. A newly developed method that detects tiny bits of zircon in rock reliably predicts the age of ocean crust more than 99 percent of ...

A mid-ocean ridge (MOR) is a seafloor mountain system formed by plate tectonics. It typically has a depth of ~ 2,600 meters (8,500 ft) and rises about two kilometers above the deepest portion of an ...

The human-occupied vehicle Alvin, during a dive on the East Pacific Rise, collected samples and recovered instruments placed at the vents during previous expeditions. Woods Hole, Mass (October 13, ...

Hydrothermal systems at mid-ocean ridges (MOR) transfer heat, metals, and carbon from Earth’s interior to the deep ocean, influencing pathways of chemical elements and compounds as they move between ...

This study is led by Dr. Jian Lin (Southern University of Science and Technology) and Dr. Fan Zhang (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences). “Water is crucial to ...