EUG 10 Meeting 28 March - 1 April 1999, Strasbourg, France
Abstract Deadline: 15 November, 1998
Abstract submission:
http://www.campublic.co.uk/science/conference/EUG10/symposia
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Special sessions relevant to mid-ocean ridge research
B13: Methane hydrates and the deep sub-seafloor biosphere
C5: The deep biosphere
F2: Magmatic, tectonic and hydrothermal processes at mid-ocean
ridges and back-arc basins
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Symposium B13: Methane hydrates and the deep sub-seafloor biosphere
Convenors: Judith A. McKenzie (Zürich) sediment at erdw.ethz.ch and B.U.
Haq (Arlington)
The recent resurgence of interest in methane hydrates has resulted from
the
recognition that they may play important roles in the global carbon
cycle
and rapid climate change through emissions of methane from marine
sediments
and permafrost into the atmosphere, and in causing mass failure of
sediments
and structural changes on the continental slope. A deep microbial source
for
the methane links the formation of hydrates with an actively
metabolising
deep sub-seafloor biosphere, which has been recognised during ODP
cruises.
Methane seeps are also associated with diverse biota in the deep ocean,
not
unlike the assemblage associated with hydrothermal vents. The methane
hydrate role in modulating climate and slope-stability, as well as the
related biological activity in the sub-surface and on the seafloor, will
be
examined.
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Symposium C5: The deep biosphere
Convenors: Nils Holm (Stockholm) nilsholm at geo.su.se and J. Parkes
(Bristol)
The rapid growth of interest in the existence of a microbial life in the
seafloor and continental subsurface has created needs for information
synthesis to guide the development of research strategies and programs.
The
existence of a deep biosphere amounted to speculation only a few years
ago.
Whatever their origin, bacteria in the deep biosphere are uniquely
adapted
to survive in exceedingly harsh environments. This knowledge, in
conjunction
with other recent research into the role that bacteria play in global
biogeochemistry, is beginning to influence ideas about nutrient cycling,
dolomite formation, biomineralization, biological adaptation and the
size of
the biosphere beneath the surface of the lithosphere.
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Symposium F2: Magmatic, tectonic and hydrothermal processes at mid-ocean
ridges and back-arc basins
Convenors: Cara Wilson (Paris) intridge at ext.jussieu.fr, J. Dyment
(Brest),
and R.-B. Pedersen (Bergen)
Mid-ocean ridges are commonly divided into "fast" and "slow" spreading
centres. However, recent studies from the Southwest Indian and Arctic
ridges, from portions of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that are near hot spots,
from the intermediate spreading Southeast Indian Ridge, and from various
spreading centres in back-arc basins, emphasise the potential effects of
ultra-slow spreading rates, of variations in mantle temperature, and of
complexities in plate kinematics, on mantle melting and on axial
magmatic,
tectonic and hydrothermal processes. We seek contributions addressing
the
variability of these processes, and discussing the nature of the
controlling
physical parameters, in different spreading environments.This session is
sponsered by InterRidge.
