ATLANTIS Project

Management information

Title: Submarine Hydrothermal Systems, Resources and Critical Raw Materials between the Canary Islands and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (ATLANTIS)

Code: MCIN/AEI/PID2021-124553OB-100

Initial date: 1 de September de 2022

Ending date: 1 de September de 2026

Funding: 292820 €

E-mail: l.somoza@igme.es; fj.gonzalez@igme.es

Project description

The ATLANTIS project addresses the exploration and study of hydrothermal and magmatic systems from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the Canary Archipelago as well as the associated mineral deposits and extremophilic ecosystems

Targets

Submarine hydrothermal fluid emissions are widespread processes that influence the evolution of continental margins and ocean basins and the generation of mineral deposits and specific geo-habitats with extremophilic organisms, thus constituting an essential tool for the understanding of geological processes and resources in these domains. However, there is a significant lack of knowledge of these systems in the oceans, having only explored 5% of the mid-oceanic ridges and very scarcely the intraplate oceanic areas.
The importance of these fluid emissions and their contribution to the advancement of marine science lies in the role they play in:

(i) the transfer of matter and energy between the lithosphere (Geosphere) and the oceans (Hydrosphere)

(ii) the impact on the geochemistry of the oceans

(iii) its influence on global climate change due to the massive emission of volcanic gases and CH4

(iv) its implications as a source of massive production of abiogenic methane

(v) its role on promoting important bio-mineralizations related to specific extremophilic organisms and

(vi) in that they provide information on the deeper areas of the Earth's crust and mantle.

Finally, they have significant potential in a wide range of mineral resources of strategic interest and biogenetic resources .

Activities

Oceanographic Survey Atlantis_1

The objective of the ATLANTIS-1 survey is to investigate the seamounts and active hydrothermal systems in the Canary Islands Seamounts Province and to the west of the island of La Palma and the island of El Hierro. During the campaign, single beam and multibeam echosounders and parametric sounder will be used to obtain bathymetric and high resolution seismic data. Explorations will also be carried out by means of 10-12 hour itineraries with the ROV-LUSO over previously detected targets. The ROV-Luso is equipped with high resolution camera, robotic arms for rock and sediment sampling, temperature, salinity, turbidity, fluorescence, redox potential, methane and CO2 sensors, as well as Niskin bottles for fluid sampling and high resolution multibeam echosounder. The sampling will be complemented with the use of Niskin bottle rosette and CTD and piston or gravity coring.

Oceanographic Survey Atlantis_2

The objective of the ATLANTIS-1 survey is to investigate a series of unexplored or partially explored hydrothermal systems located between the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Canary Islands. During the cruise, single beam and multibeam echosounders and parametric sounder will be used to obtain bathymetric and high resolution seismic data. Explorations will also be carried out by means of 10-12 hour itineraries with the ROV-LUSO over previously detected targets. The ROV-Luso is equipped with high resolution camera, robotic arms for rock and sediment sampling, temperature, salinity, turbidity, fluorescence, redox potential, methane and CO2 sensors, as well as Niskin bottles for fluid sampling and high resolution multibeam echosounder. The sampling will be complemented with the use of Niskin bottle rosette and CTD and piston or gravity coring.