Theis is a theoretical study of the dynamics of hydrothermal processes beneath ridge.crest thermal areas. A theoretical analog of the natural system has been designed to facilitate analyses of the interaction among processes that redistribute energy and mass from the pluton sized magma bodies near the bottom of the ocean crust through percolation networks in the overlying rocks. The objective of the study is to predict the magnitude and periodicity of long and short term variations of field parameters in the subsurface beneath active hot springs that are caused by local feedbacks amongst the transport processes. The study will focus primarily on the behavior of hydrothermal activity at state conditions that coincide with the near field of the critical region of the fluid.
