Hydrothermal sediments form in several places within the Santorini caldera. The sediments at the most active hot submarine spring (at SW Nea Kameni) consist of 40-48% Fe2O3 and 8-15% SiO2, but only little Al2O3 (0.5-1.6%), P (0.1-0.3%), Mn (100-450 ppm), Sr, Zr, Ba, Zn and V (∼30-200 ppm) and Cu, Ni and Y (∼ 1-30 ppm) are present. The sediments contain more Fe and P and less Si, Al, Mn and many trace elements than sediments formed at less active springs at Palaea Kameni; the differences probably being caused by faster deposition rates of Fe at Nea Kameni and less dilution by rock detritus, which delivers Al, Si and Mn. The Santorini sediments differ much from other exhalative sediments at present or old spreading centers, for example on the East Pacific Rise, in the Red Sea or at En Kafala, which are rich in Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni and Ba. Hydrothermal rock leaching probably occurs at much lower pH-values at Santorini than on the East Pacific Rise, causing a more complete breakdown of the leached rock at Santorini. The very low trace element to iron ratios in the rocks at Santorini, therefore, prevent the hydrothermal solutions there from being very rich in trace elements. The very acid leaching solutions at Santorini are created by extensive oxidation of hydrogen sulfide to sulfuric acid, a process that is readily possible due to the close proximity of the oxygen-rich atmosphere to the top of the magma chamber.

In the Arena Global resources many exercises that designed to promote team-work and collaborative learning were introduced during the first semester. Examples of exercises were: a) adventure based experiential learning b) supervised peer review of written (process writing) and oral student presentations c) an exercise that revealed the disadvantages with lack of co-operation d) a home-work exercise where the students were encouraged to co-operate e) team-work dealing with water resources in an international perspective f) student panel discussion where knowledge from two different courses was integrated g) a tree-day study tour where the students learn to know each other. The students were also encouraged to read texts describing advantages with collaborative learning.

We compare morphology, tectonics, petrology, and hydrothermal activity of a known section of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) between the Kane and Atlantis fracture zones (full multi-beam coverage 21N to 31N) to the lesser known Carlsberg Ridge (CR; limited multi-beam coverage plus satellite altimetry). The CR extends from the Owen Fracture Zone (10N) to the Vityaz Fracture Zone (5S) and spreads at half-rates (~1.2-1.8 cm/yr) similar to the MAR: 1) Morphology: Both ridges exhibit distinct segmentation (primarily sinistral) and axial valleys with high floor to crest relief (range 1122-1771 m). Average lengths of segments (CR: 70 km; MAR: 50 km) and crest-to crest width of the axial valley are greater on the CR (40 km) than MAR (23 km). Axial volcanic ridges form the neovolcanic zone on both ridges, typically 2.6 km wide and 213 m high on the CR. Average water depth near segment centers is greater on the MAR (3933 m) than the CR (3564 m). V-shaped patterns oblique to the spreading axis are present on both ridges. 2) Tectonics: Segments on each ridge are predominantly separated by short-offset (<30 km) non-transform discontinuities with longer transform faults generally spaced hundreds of kilometers apart. Bulls-eye Mantle Bouguer Lows (-30 to -50 mgal) are present at centers of spreading segments on both ridges. Metamorphic core complexes of lower crust and upper mantle are present on the MAR section (at fracture zones) and at least at one locality at 58.33E on the CR. 3) Petrology: MORB composition from our 20 stations along the CR fall into the MORB family, with no evidence of hotspot inputs (no excess K or Nb), or extreme fractionation, similar to the MAR section. REE and trace element patterns between 57E and 61E on the CR indicate increasing melt depletion to the northwest, while glasses exhibit a striking systematic increase in MgO (decrease in fractionation) to the northwest and attain among the most primitive composition of any ocean ridge adjacent to the Owen fracture zone (9.93wt percent). Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions of Indian Ocean MORB are distinct from those of other oceans. They exhibit relatively higher 87Sr/86Sr, and lower 143Nd/144Nd, 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb for a given 206Pb/204Pb invoking mixing and regional-scale contamination of a depleted mantle with a variously designated enriched reservoir (EM1, EM2, DUPAL, etc.). 4) Hydrothermal activity: The MAR section encompasses a low-T hydrothermal field driven by the serpentinization at the Atlantis fracture zone (Lost City at 30N), and three high-temperature fields driven by magmatic heat in the axial valley (Broken Spur 29N, TAG 26N, and Snake Pit 23N). A 70 km-long, 1000 m-thick megaplume was detected in the water column up to 1400 m above the CR axial valley centered at 6.05N, 60.95E in August 2003, the first clear evidence of high-temperature hydrothermal activity on the CR. Further CR hydrothermal evidence includes relict sulfide chimneys at 58E; Mn-oxide coatings on basalts in the axial valley with Fe/Mn ratios at the boundary between hydrogenous and hydrothermal composition with thickness at two stations (1.67S, 67.77E; 5.35S, 68.62E) suggestive of hydrothermal input; and a d3He anomaly (166 per mil) in the water column at one of our stations in April 1979 (5.35S, 68.62E).

The initial occurrence of serpentinized ultramafic rocks at the nontransform intersection of a wall of a rift valley with the wall of a fracture zone is described from a site at the Fifteen Twenty Fracture Zone. The ultramafics crop out in block-faulted terrain on the upper portion of the eastern intersection between the rift valley and fracture zone walls in water depths between 2910 and 3300 m. They comprise cumulate harzburgites, pyroxenites, Iherzolites, and wehrlites, as well as gabbronorites, olivine gabbronorites, gabbropegmatites, and alteration products including serpentinites, bastite serpentinites, and asbestos. The Ti-Zr-Y relations and relatively constant Zr/Ti ratio in basalts recovered with the ultramafic rocks indicate a cogenetic relation from a common magmatic source that has undergone a late stage differentiation in the lower crust. Ongoing hydrothermal activity is indicated by chemical anomalies (δ3He, Mn) in the near-bottom water at the ultramafic outcrop. The upwelling hydrothermal circulation apparently follows crust-penetrating faults that may have controlled the diapiric ascent of the serpentinites and that continue to tap degassing magma and/or mantle. The observations presented indicate that ultramafic cumulates form beneath the rift valley adjacent to long-offset (>100 km) ridge-ridge transform faults, where they are serpentinized by hydrothermal processes within the initial 1 × 106 years of generation of lithosphère at a slow spreading axis. The corners formed by the intersections of the walls of a rift valley with both the transform (RT corner) and the nontransform (RN corner) portions of these fracture zones are principal loci of diapiric emplacement of serpentinized ultramafics.

The Proterozoic Svecofennian orogeny was characterized by the rapid formation of great amounts of juvenile continental crust and extensive remobilization of older crust. This paper considers U---Pb zircon ages and some geochemical and lithostratigraphic features of the Svecofennian in the continental-margin area between the Skellefte ore district and the boundary of the Archaean craton farther north in Sweden. New U---Pb zircon ages constrain the igneous activity of Svecofennian crust formation in northern Sweden to between 1930 and 1870 Ma ago. The same time constraints apply also to crust formation farther east in Finland. Orogeny along the entire Archaean-Proterozoic boundary zone was thus simultaneous and does not represent an east-to-west event succession. It is argued that rocks with similar major element compositions but distinctly different trace element characteristics were formed simultaneously but in different plate-tectonic environments. By ≈ 1875 Ma ago, the Svecofennian volcanic arc had matured and a variety of syn- to late-orogenic igneous rocks appeared in both tensional and compressional settings. Shortly thereafter, the Svecofennian magmatic activity ceased altogether, probably as a result of collision between the arc and the Archaean continent in the north. It is also suggested that pre-Svecofennian rifting of the Archaean craton had created a passive continental margin and that the transition to an active margin with subsequent island-arc magmatism and subduction beneath the Archaean craton commenced prior to 1930 Ma ago. It may well have been initiated by a relative drift of the Archaean craton towards the present southwest as a consequence of the formation of the collisional Proterozoic Lapland Granulite Belt in the northernmost Baltic Shield.

The differentiated, sulfide-bearing gabbro near the city of Boden in northern Sweden has been investigated in order to get a plausible model for its formation, shape and age. The gabbro is associated with a major fault system along which several intrusive bodies occur. The largest of these has been traversed by a gravimetric, magnetometric and geological profile. The investigated intrusion is undeformed and oval-shaped and covers some 20 km2. The outer parts of the body consist of a norite in contact with older meatasediments and granites of varying age. Inside the norite occurs a magnetite-rich gabbro, which forms a ring around the centre of the massif, which in turn consists of leucogabbro-olivine gabbro. Fe, Ti and K are low in the centre where Mg and Cr have their highest contents. Impregnations of sulfides and a massive pyrrhotite vein with some 1 % Ni are located in the norite. A number of intrusion models have been tested by computer modelling combining gravimetric and magnetic field data. The most probable model seems to be a funnel-shaped body pointing downwards. The different gabbro types dip steeply inwards indicating vertical zones rather than horizontal. Palaeomagnetic measurements show that the intrusion has a similar orientation of magnetization as other gabbros of the Haparanda series in northern Sweden (1800-1900 Ga, Rb-Sr). Furthermore, the pole distributions show that the rock cooled slowly, which may indicate that the present outcrop is a deep part of an eroded intrusion. The massif is supposed to have been formed by a diapiric re-emplacement of primary horizontal cumulates formed in the sequence olivine gabbro-leucogabbro-magnetite-bearing gabbro-norite.

The mercury content of sulfides shows a regular trend on both local and regional scale in the Skellefte district. For this reason sulfide concentrates from thirteen ore boulders were analyzed for Hg, Zn and Cu. The ratio Hg/Zn in sphalerite and Hg/Cu in chalcopyrite as well as the amount of mercury in pyrite appear to serve well as fingerprints of the boulders.