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Geochemical and Geophysical Implications of the Reaction between Seawater and the Oceanic Crust

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.

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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

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