Vigorous Venting and Biology at Pito Seamount, Easter Microplate

A Nautile submersible investigation of Pito Seamount documents vigorous hydrothermal venting at 23° 19.65'S, 111° 38.41'W and at a depth of 2270 m. The data indicate the volcano is young and recently active, as predicted from analyses of SeaMARC II side-scan and swath bathymetry, and geophysical data. Pito Seamount lies near Pito Deep (5980 m), which marks the tip of the northwestward propagating East rift of the Easter microplate. Bathymetry surrounding Pito Seamount consists of a series of ridges and valleys with relief up to ∼ 4 km. The 4-km submersible-transect to the summit of Pito Seamount crossed areas of very glassy basalt with little or no sediment cover, suggesting the lava flows are very young. Most of the lava samples from Pito Seamount are depleted normal MORB (mid-ocean ridge basalt). Lava samples associated with active and dead hydrothermal vents consist of phyric and aphyric transitional and enriched MORB. Sulfides consist primarily of sphalerite and pyrite, with traces of chalcopyrite. The active hydrothermal chimney on Pito Seamount has a small, undiversified biological community similar to northern East Pacific Rise vent sites (alvinellid worms, bythograeid crabs and bythitid fishes) and western Pacific back-arc basin sites (alvinocaridid shrimps). No vestimentiferan worms were observed. Previous geophysical data, and new geochemical data and visual observations, suggest that the vigorous black smoker is a result of deep, extensive crosscutting faults formed by extensive tectonic thinning of Pito Deep, and a very robust magmatic supply being supplied from upwelling asthenosphere. Although no biological or vent fluid samples were obtained, geological and biological observations, such as the large number of inactive chimneys, old hydrothermal deposits, and starfish, as well as the occurrence of dead mollusks (gastropod and mussels), suggest a recent waning of hydrothermal activity near the summit. The speculative interpretation that Pito Seamount is acting as a focal point for the formation of a new seafloor spreading axis trending northwest (310°) from the seamount summit towards Pito Deep is supported by the new data and observations reported here. These include the similar geochemistry of young lava samples obtained from Pito Seamount and from a small volcanic mound within Pito Deep and the strong SeaMARC II side-scan backscatter amplitudes along most of the ∼ 50 km rift zone connecting the summit of Pito Seamount to Pito Deep.