Project information
Project aim
Macquarie Island represents a globally unique opportunity to examine in situ oceanic crust as it is the only subaerial exposure of non-plume-related oceanic crust that still lies within the basin in which it formed. Thus any geological features examined on the island may be placed into a relatively well-constrained present-day plate tectonic setting. This project focuses on the production of sediment in a spreading ridge environment that are derived from two sources: 1) the mechanical breaking of oceanic crust in fault zones, and 2) the quenching of very hot liquid rock as it is erupted and interacts with sea water. We will investigate how the sediment is produced, transported in the deep ocean, deposited and lithified into rock near to the active axis of a seafloor spreading system. We will develop models that detail how these rocks form, that will be used as analogues for the production of these types of rock around the world.