The Trans‐Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) hydrothermal field on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge is one of the best‐studied hydrothermal systems to date. However, high‐resolution bathymetric data obtained in 2016 by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) reveal new information about the distribution of active and inactive hydrothermal deposits, and their relation to structural features. The discovery of previously undocumented inactive vent sites contributes to a better understanding of the accumulation rates and the resource potential of seafloor massive sulfide deposits at slow‐spreading ridges. The interpretation of ship‐based and high‐resolution AUV‐based data sets allowed for the determination of the main tectonic stress regimes that have a first‐order control on the location and distribution of past and present hydrothermal activity. The data reveal the importance of cross‐cutting lineament populations and temporal variations in the prevalent stress regime. A dozen sulfide mounds contribute to a substantial accumulation of hydrothermal material (~29 Mt). The accumulation rate of ~1,500 t/yr is comparable to those of other modern seafloor vent fields. However, our observations suggest that the TAG segment is different from many other slow‐spreading ridge segments in its tectonic complexity, which confines sulfide formation into a relatively small area and is responsible for the longevity of the hydrothermal system and substantial mineral accumulation. The inactive and weakly active mounds contain almost 10 times the amount of material as the active high‐temperature mound, providing an important indication of the global resource potential for inactive seafloor massive sulfide deposits.

中文翻译：

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TAG水热场中大量硫化物的结构控制，演化和积累速率

大西洋中脊上的大西洋跨地热（TAG）热液场是迄今为止研究最多的热液系统之一。然而，2016年由自动水下航行器（AUV）获得的高分辨率测深数据揭示了有关活跃和不活跃热液沉积物的分布及其与结构特征的关系的新信息。先前未记录的无活动放空点的发现有助于人们更好地了解慢速扩散海脊处海底块状硫化物的成藏速率和资源潜力。对基于舰船和高分辨率基于AUV的数据集的解释可以确定主要构造应力类型，这些构造应力类型对过去和现在的热液活动的位置和分布具有一阶控制。数据揭示了横切谱系种群和普遍压力制度中时间变化的重要性。一打硫化物堆有助于大量的水热物质堆积（〜29 Mt）。约1,500吨/年的蓄积率可与其他现代海底喷口气田相比。但是，我们的观察结果表明，TAG段与其他许多缓慢扩展的山脊段的构造复杂性不同，这将硫化物的形成限制在一个相对较小的区域内，并且是热液系统寿命长和大量矿物聚集的原因。惰性土堆和弱活性土堆所含材料几乎是活性高温土堆的10倍，