Structure of uppermost fast‐spread oceanic crust exposed at the Hess Deep Rift: Implications for subaxial processes at the East Pacific Rise

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Abstract
The uppermost 2 km of the oceanic crust created at the fast spreading (135 mm yr−1, full rate) equatorial East Pacific Rise (EPR) is exposed for tens of kilometers along escarpments bounding the Hess Deep Rift. Mosaics of large‐scale digital images from the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Argo II and direct observations from the submersible Alvin document a degree of geological complexity and variability that is not evident from most studies of ophiolites or prevailing models of seafloor spreading. Dramatic variations in the thickness and internal structure are documented in both the basaltic volcanic and sheeted dike rock units. These rock units are characterized by extensive faulting, fine‐scale fracturing, and rotations of coherent crustal blocks meters to tens of meters across. The uppermost basaltic lavas are essentially undeformed and have overall gently inclined flow surfaces. Through most of the basaltic lava unit, however, lava flow contacts dip (20°–70°W) toward the EPR and generally increase in dip downward in the section. Dikes cutting the lavas and in the underlying sheeted dike unit generally dip (90°–40°E) away from the EPR. Deeper level gabbroic rocks show little evidence of the intense fracturing typical of the overlying units. We interpret this upper crustal structure as the result of subaxial subsidence within 1–2 km of the EPR that accommodated the thickening of the basaltic lava unit to ∼500 m. Variations in the thickness of lava and dike units and spatially related structures along the rift escarpments suggest temporal fluctuations in magma supply. These results indicate that substantial brittle deformation accompanied waxing and waning volcanism during the accretion of the crustal section exposed at the Hess Deep Rift. If this type of structure is typical of uppermost oceanic crust generated at the EPR, these processes may be common along fast spreading mid‐ocean ridges.