This project will develop a new observational approach to investigate water-rock interaction in oceanic hydrothermal systems. The goal is to determine the distribution of trace elements in hydrothermally altered rocks on a micron scale using the ion microprobe at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Data for primary/secondary mineral pairs and vein minerals will allow the evaluation of how specific metamorphic reactions influence the composition of hydrothermal fluids and altered oceanic crust.
