[Eoas-seminar] Prospectus MS Defense - Mackenzie Hopkins

[eoas-seminar at lists.fsu.edu]

Hello,

Please join us for Mackenzie Hopkins's Master Prospectus Defense on Thursday, November 6th.

Title: Exploration of the Valentine Vents: A newly discovered site of diffuse, low-temperature, sediment-hosted volcanic activity in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica.

Name: Mackenzie Hopkins
Date: 11/6/2025
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: EOAS 5067
Advisor: Lisa Herbert

Abstract:
New findings off the west coast of Antarctica reveal the possibility of magmatic influence at a marine sediment-hosted diffuse vent field in the Amundsen Sea. This previously undocumented site, coined the "Valentine Vents", exhibits a low pH and low salinity alongside high concentrations of dissolved CO2 in the pore water. Pore water Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, U, Zn, and rare earth elements (REE) Yb and Nd show high concentrations compared to typical sea water concentrations as well as sediments from nearby sites, while several elements (Cu, Cr, and Mo) are depleted. High levels of reactive iron and manganese were also observed. Initial physical observations coupled with preliminary geochemical findings suggest diffuse venting of low-oxygen, low-sulfur magmatic fluid enriched in CO2 and trace metals. This site, located in a local depression in the seafloor, may overlie a magmatic intrusion causing degassing and upward fluid transport through the glacial sediment cover. This is consistent with the known presence of continental vulcanism in this region of West Antarctic. The discovery of this site could lead to a paradigm shift in our understanding of the sources of trace metals necessary for primary production in the Amundsen Sea.

Best,
Adea

Adea Arrison
Sr. Academic Program Specialist
Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Science
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