We present noble gas concentrations determined in pore water of deep-sea sediments close to a recently discovered hydrothermal vent site, consisting of a mound structure and several black smokers, located in the northern Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. Noble gases were used as tracers to identify the origin of fluids within the sediment pore space and to gain insight into transport dynamics of hydrothermal fluids in this region. Our data suggest that Guaymas Basin bottom water is the only source of pore water in the pelagic sediment body close to the hydrothermal vent field. In particular, there is no evidence of any direct (diffusive or advective) transport of hydrothermal fluids through the deep-sea sediments surrounding the black smoker system. This finding implies that at this black smoker site hydrothermal fluids are transported upwards from the fluid source in very narrow pathways below the smokers. Thus, the fluids are only injected into the ocean directly through the chimneys of the black smokers and no additional emission from the surrounding sediment takes place. Helium isotope data show that during a more active phase of the vent field in the past (supposedly representing the early onset of the black smokers 5–6 kyrs ago), bottom water with a different isotopic signature was incorporated into the sediment column.

我们介绍了位于加利福尼亚湾北部瓜伊马斯盆地附近，最近发现的热液喷口附近的深海沉积物孔隙水中确定的稀有气体浓度，该热液喷口由一个土墩结构和几个黑烟民组成。稀有气体用作示踪剂，以识别沉积物孔隙空间内流体的起源，并深入了解该区域内热液的输送动力学。我们的数据表明，瓜亚马斯盆地底水是靠近热液喷口区域的中上层沉积物中孔隙水的唯一来源。特别是，没有证据表明热液通过黑烟系统周围的深海沉积物进行任何直接（扩散或对流）运输。该发现暗示在该黑烟民现场，热液从烟源下方的狭窄通道中被从流体源向上输送。因此，流体仅通过黑烟民的烟囱直接注入海洋，而周围沉积物不会产生其他排放物。氦同位素数据显示，在过去通风孔场较活跃的阶段（据说代表了5-6年前的黑人吸烟者的较早发作），具有不同同位素特征的底部水已合并到沉积物中。