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Comprehensive knowledge of the distribution of active hydrothermal vent fields along midocean ridges is essential to understanding global chemical and heat fluxes and endemic faunal distributions. However, current knowledge is biased by a historical preference for on-axis surveys. A scarcity of high-resolution bathymetric surveys in off-axis regions limits vent identification, which implies that the number of vents may be underestimated. Here, we present the discovery of an active, high-temperature, off-axis hydrothermal field on a fast-spreading ridge. The vent field is located 750 m east of the East Pacific Rise axis and ∼7 km north of on-axis vents at 9° 50′N, which are situated in a 50- to 100-m-wide trough. This site is currently the largest vent field known on the East Pacific Rise between 9 and 10° N. Its proximity to a normal fault suggests that hydrothermal fluid pathways are tectonically controlled. Geochemical evidence reveals deep fluid circulation to depths only 160 m above the axial magma lens. Relative to on-axis vents at 9° 50′N, these off-axis fluids attain higher temperatures and pressures. This tectonically controlled vent field may therefore exhibit greater stability in fluid composition, in contrast to more dynamic, dike-controlled, on-axis vents. The location of this site indicates that high-temperature convective circulation cells extend to greater distances off axis than previously realized. Thorough high-resolution mapping is necessary to understand the distribution, frequency, and physical controls on active off-axis vent fields so that their contribution to global heat and chemical fluxes and role in metacommunity dynamics can be determined. 

Fissures and faults provide insight into how plate separation is accommodated by magmatism and brittle deformation during crustal accretion. Although fissure and fault geometry can be used to quantify the spreading process at mid‐ocean ridges, accurate measurements are rare due to insufficiently detailed mapping data. Here, fissures and faults at the fast‐spreading 9°50′N segment of the East Pacific Rise were mapped using bathymetric data collected at 1‐m horizontal resolution by autonomous underwater vehicleSentry. Fault dip estimates from the bathymetric data were calibrated using co‐registered near‐bottom imagery and depth transects acquired by remotely operated vehicleJason. Fissures are classified as either eruptive or non‐eruptive (i.e., cracks). Tectonic strain estimated from corrected fault heaves suggests that faulting plays a negligible role in the plate separation on crust younger than 72 kyr (<4 km from the ridge axis). Pre‐ and post‐eruption surveys show that most fissures were reactivated during the eruptions in 2005–2006. Variable eruptive fissure geometry could be explained by the frequency with which each fissure is reactivated and partially infilled. Fissure swarms and lava plateaus in low‐relief areas >2 km from the ridge are spatially associated with off‐axis lower‐crustal magma lenses identified in multichannel seismic data. Deep, closely spaced fissures overlie a relatively shallow portion of the axial magma lens. The width of on‐axis fissures and inferred subsurface dike geometry imply a ∼9‐year long diking recurrence interval to fully accommodate plate spreading, which is broadly consistent with cycle intervals obtained from estimates of melt extraction rates, eruption volumes, and spreading rate.

 

Seafloor volcanic eruptions are difficult to directly observe due to lengthy eruption cycles and the remote location of mid‐ocean ridges. Volcanic eruptions in 2005–2006 at 9°50′N on the East Pacific Rise have been well documented, but the lava volume and flow extent remain uncertain because of the limited near‐bottom bathymetric data. We present near‐bottom data collected during 19 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)Sentrydives at 9°50′N in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The resulting 1 m‐resolution bathymetric grid and 20 cm‐resolution sidescan sonar images cover 115 km², and span the entire area of the 2005–2006 eruptions, including an 8 km²pre‐eruption survey collected with AUVABEin 2001. Pre‐ and post‐eruption surveys, combined with sidescan sonar images and seismo‐acoustic impulsive events recorded during the eruptions, are used to quantify the lava flow extent and to estimate changes in seafloor depth caused by lava emplacement. During the 2005–2006 eruptions, lava flowed up to ∼3 km away from the axial summit trough, covering an area of ∼20.8 km²; ∼50% larger than previously thought. Where pre‐ and post‐eruption surveys overlap, individual flow lobes can be resolved, confirming that lava thickness varies from ∼1 to 10 m, and increases with distance from eruptive fissures. The resulting lava volume estimate indicates that ∼57% of the melt extracted from the axial melt lens probably remained in the subsurface as dikes. These observations provide insights into recharge cycles in the subsurface magma system, and are a baseline for studying future eruptions at the 9°50′N area.