Do
Vents Affect the Entire Ocean?
The world’s oceans contain many chemicals other than water and salt.
Where do these chemicals come from? Rivers carry some of the chemicals into
the ocean. Hydrothermal vents supply others. When seawater seeps down into
the ocean crust and is heated by the magma, it undergoes lots of chemical reactions.
When the fluid rises up through the seafloor, it carries many new chemicals
with it, such as copper and zinc. These chemical reactions also remove chemicals
from the seawater, such as oxygen and magnesium. Here is a look at some of
the many chemical reactions that take place.
1.
Cold seawater sinks down through cracks in the crust.
2.
Oxygen and potassium are removed from the seawater.
3.
Calcium, sulfate, and magnesium are removed from the fluid.
4.
Sodium, calcium, and potassium from the surrounding crust enter the fluid.
5.
The fluids have reached their highest temperatures. Copper, zinc, iron, and
sulfur from the crust dissolve in the fluids.
6.
Hot fluids carrying dissolved metals rise up through crust.
7.
The hydrothermal fluids mix with cold, oxygen-rich seawater. Metals and sulfur
combine to form black metal-sulfide minerals.
