METEOR M194

The HEXPLORES cruise (Hydrothermal EXPLOration of the REd Sea) aims to verify existing models on the distribution of (high-T)hydrothermal vent sites along slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges by studying hydrothermalism in the poorly investigated Red Sea Rift.

The occurrence of extreme seawater salinity, seafloor brine pools, thick submarine evaporite glaciers, and comparable high heat flow in the axis let us expect hydrothermal vent sites that are exceptional in size, composition, and chemosynthetic biodiversity. Even though the Red Sea rift hosts the largest submarine sedimentary metal deposit in the brine-filled Atlantis II Deep, the remaining (brine free) axis of the Red Sea has never been studied systematically for the occurrence of hydrothermal activity. Nevertheless, our previous geochemical, geomorphological, and oceanographic studies of the Red Sea Rift revealed strong indications for more hydrothermally active areas in the Red Sea. We intend to investigate these areas e.g., by ROV and OFOS to localize the active vents and study their geological and mineralogical properties and associated ecosystems in detail.