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210 Po and 210 Pb disequilibrium in the hydrothermal vent fluids and chimney deposits from Juan de Fuca Ridge
Author(s) -
Hussain N.,
Church T. M.,
Luther G. W.,
Moore W. S.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/95gl03269
Subject(s) - hydrothermal circulation , chimney (locomotive) , hydrothermal vent , geology , disequilibrium , mineralogy , ridge , mid ocean ridge , residence time (fluid dynamics) , geochemistry , oceanography , paleontology , medicine , geotechnical engineering , inlet , ophthalmology
Significantly deficient 210 Po/ 210 Pb activity ratios (0.14±0.14) are measured in the hydrothermal vent fluids collected from Juan de Fuca Ridge. Chimney deposits generally showed <5 dpm of excess 210 Po. However, one sample from the outermost layer of a sealed spire yielded >1200 dpm g −1 of excess 210 Po. If the observed 210 Po‐ 210 Pb disequilibrium in vent fluids is a result of 210 Po removal by the precipitates, residence time of polonium with respect to its irreversible removal from hot fluids is estimated to be of the order of a few minutes. Alternatively, if the disequilibrium is a result of an insufficient growth of 210 Po from in‐situ 210 Pb following heating, the residence time of hot fluids within the hydrothermal system can be shown to be less than 30 days, which is considerably lower than previously reported values.