Abstract
I have presented a detailed synthesis of the evidence for large scale chemical reactions between sea water and the upper 2–3 km of the ocean floor basalt1. These reactions seem reasonable as the ocean floor is free from thick sediment for about 80 × 106 yr and is cross-cut with fractures and joints that permit seawater to circulate freely and react with basalt over long periods of time. Here, I emphasize some of the implications of these reactions.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hart, R. A., Canad. J. Earth Sci. (in the press).
Cox, A., Blakely, R. J., and Phillips, J. D., Trans. Amer. Geophys. Un., abs, 53, 974 (1972).
Muehlenbachs, K., and Clayton, R. N., Canad. J. Earth Sci., 9, 471 (1972).
Hart, S. R., Carnegie Institute Year Book 71, 288 (1972).
Rona, P. A., Geol. Soc. Amer. Ann. Meeting (abs), 4, 644 (1972).
Dasch, E. J., Hedge, C. E., and Dymond, J., Earth Planet Sci. Lett. (in the press).
Langreth, M. G., and Von Herzen, R. P., The Sea, 4, 299 (1970).
Peterman, Z. E., Hedge, C. E., and Tourtelot, H. A., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 34, 106 (1970).
Holser, W. T., and Kaplan, I. R., Chem. Geol., 1, 93 (1966).
Damon, P. E., in Late Cenozoic Glacial Ages (edit. by Turelcian, K. K., 15 (Yale University Press, 1972).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HART, R. Geochemical and Geophysical Implications of the Reaction between Seawater and the Oceanic Crust. Nature 243, 76–78 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/243076a0
Received:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/243076a0
This article is cited by
-
Role of underthrust oceanic crust in the genesis of a Fijian calc-alkaline suite
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology (1974)