REVIEW OF SUBMARINE HYDROTHERMAL ACTIVITIES IN SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE

The discovery of submarine hydrothermal activities in the super-slow spreading ridge of Southwest Indian Ocean has altered the traditional view,and pushed forward the understanding of the global hydrothermal activity system in-depth.This review summarizes the studies on tectonic settings,hydrothermal activities and geochemical characteristics of the basalt and ultramafic rocks in SWIR.It suggests that the unique geo-environment of SWIR provides an excellent "window" to study modern submarine hydrothermal activities,heat and mass flux caused by the interactions among earth's layers,special nature of hydrothermal system and mineralization in different hydrothermal regions,deepsea ecosystems and food chain.Future research work should be lunched upon broader and more detailed investigation,with focus on the particularity of hydrothermal system of SWIR,so as to contribute more to the theory of modern submarine hydrothermal activity and mineralization.