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Modeling continental and submarine hydrothermal systems
Author(s) -
Lowell Robert P.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/91rg01080
Subject(s) - hydrothermal circulation , seafloor spreading , geology , submarine , hydrothermal vent , mid ocean ridge , submarine volcano , petrology , geophysics , thermal fluids , heat transfer , earth science , ridge , convective heat transfer , oceanography , mechanics , paleontology , physics
Continental and submarine hydrothermal systems are an integral part of the Earth's thermal regime. Continental systems account for less than 1% of the global heat loss, whereas submarine systems account for nearly 25%. Naturally heated waters of continental hydrothermal systems have been utilized for centuries, yet mathematical models of these systems have been developed only during the past 40 years. By contrast, direct observation of seafloor hydrothermal venting occurred just slightly more than a decade ago. However, mathematical models of submarine hydrothermal heat transfer were developed to explain conductive heat flow anomalies at ocean ridge crests even before the vents were found. Both cellular convection in fluid‐saturated porous media and single‐pass, pipe model flow provide a conceptual framework for the construction of mathematical models hydrothermal systems. Recent numerical simulations of low‐ and high‐temperature hydrothermal systems in continental and submarine settings highlight the role of permeability in controlling the style of hydrothermal circulation. Future modeling will likely focus on the complexities of heat transfer between magma and the hydrothermal system as well as on the tectonic, thermal, and chemical processes that affect rock permeability in space and time. Future work must also address the three‐dimensional nature of hydrothermal systems and two‐phase flow in submarine hydrothermal systems. Whether hydrothermal systems might record climatic changes has yet to be investigated.