Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2023, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (6): 74-88.doi: 10.11978/2023032CSTR: 32234.14.2023032

• Marine Geophysics • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Contrasting thermal states of the initial spreading systems between the Red Sea and the Gulf of California

XU Liuna1(), LI Chunfeng1,2(), HUANG Liang1, ZHU Shuang1, YIN Yihong3   

  1. 1. Department of Marine Science, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
    2. Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya 572025, China
    3. Shandong Huakun Natural Resources Digital Industry Group, Jinan 250014, China
  • Received:2023-03-10 Revised:2023-04-28 Online:2023-11-10 Published:2023-11-28
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(91858213); National Natural Science Foundation of China(42176055); Natural Science Foundation of Hainan Province, China(421CXTD441); Zhejiang University Cooperation Project with Zhoushan city(2019C81058)

Abstract:

Although both the Red Sea and the Gulf of California are in the transitional stage from continental rifting to initial seafloor spreading, their tectonic backgrounds and evolutionary features are vastly different. To investigate their geothermal differences, curie-point depths in the Red Sea and the Gulf of California are estimated from magnetic anomalies using the centroid method based on both Fourier and wavelet transform. Our results reveal significant differences in the thermal states between the Red Sea and the Gulf of California. Curie depths in the Gulf of California are evidently deeper than those in the Red Sea. The spreading center of the Red Sea is relatively continuous and has active magmatic activity, whereas the spreading center of the Gulf of California is staggered by extensively developed transform faults and has strong localized hydrothermal activity that accelerates the thermal convection and loss of heat in this region. In addition, the spreading rate is highly coupled with the thermal state and hydrothermal activity in the spreading center. The spreading rate in the Gulf of California more than twice that of the Red Sea, further supporting stronger hydrothermal activity and deeper Curie depths in the Gulf of California than in the Red Sea.

Key words: Red Sea, Gulf of California, Curie point depth, thermal state, wavelet transform, Fourier transform, heat flow, hydrothermal activity