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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1986 Sep;83(17):6241–6244. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.17.6241

Flow rates and reaction rates in the Galapagos Rise spreading center hydrothermal system as inferred from 228Ra/226Ra in vesicomyid clam shells

Karl K Turekian 1, J Kirk Cochran 1,*
PMCID: PMC386478  PMID: 16593746

Abstract

The 228Ra/226Ra ratios in a previously dated vesicomyid clam shell were used to determine that seawater was in contact with mid-oceanic-ridge basalt glass for 22-45 years prior to arrival to the surface at 350°C at the Galapagos Rise Spreading Center. The minimum rate of reaction for the 45-year sojourn time, based on a water/rock ratio of 2.8 derived from 226Ra concentrations, is 8 g of basalt altered per kg of seawater per year.

Keywords: uranium decay chain, thorium decay chain, ridge basalts

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Corliss J. B., Dymond J., Gordon L. I., Edmond J. M., von Herzen R. P., Ballard R. D., Green K., Williams D., Bainbridge A., Crane K., van Andel T. H. Submarine thermal sprirngs on the galapagos rift. Science. 1979 Mar 16;203(4385):1073–1083. doi: 10.1126/science.203.4385.1073. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
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