Publications [#278680] of Paul A. Baker

Papers Accepted

1. Zierenberg, RA; Fouquet, Y; Miller, DJ; Bahr, JM; Baker, PA; Bjerkgård, T; Brunner, CA; Duckworth, RC; Gable, R; Gieskes, J; Goodfellow, WD; Gröschel-Becker, HM; Guèrin, G; Ishibashi, J; Iturrino, G; James, RH; Lackschewitz, KS; Marquez, LL; Nehlig, P; Peter, JM; Rigsby, CA; Schultheiss, P; Shanks, WC; Simoneit, BRT; Summit, M; Teagle, DAH; Urbat, M; Zuffa, GG, The deep structure of a sea-floor hydrothermal deposit, Nature, vol. 392 no. 6675 (April, 1998), pp. 485-488, Springer Nature [doi]
   (last updated on 2023/06/01)

   Abstract:
   Hydrothermal circulation at the crests of mid-ocean ridges plays an important role in transferring heat from the interior of the Earth. A consequence of this hydrothermal circulation is the formation of metallic ore bodies known as volcanic-associated massive sulphide deposits. Such deposits, preserved on land, were important sources of copper for ancient civilizations and continue to provide a significant source of base metals (for example, copper and zinc). Here we present results from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 169, which drilled through a massive sulphide deposit on the northern Juan de Fuca spreading centre and penetrated the hydrothermal feeder zone through which the metal-rich fluids reached the sea floor. We found that the style of feeder-zone mineralization changes with depth in response to changes in the pore pressure of the hydrothermal fluids and discovered a stratified zone of high-grade copper-rich replacement mineralization below the massive sulphide deposit. This copper-rich zone represents a type of mineralization not previously observed below sea-floor deposits, and may provide new targets for land-based mineral exploration.