Nature of carbon matter in bottom sediments of the Axis mountain (Juan-de-Fuca ridge)

The study of bitumoids of organic matter were made in bottom sediments of the Axis mountain, where the low temperature sources were found. Maximum concentrations of bitumoids and hydrocarbons, especially aromatic hydrocarbons, were found in bottom sediments close to the hydrothermal source. The moleculare structure of n-alcanes extracted from the calder sediments is characterized by a high content of low moleculare fraction (C-15-C-24 upto 70%), where CPI is about 0.81. The associations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are close to associations of hydrothermal ore deposits and present-day hydrothermal formations. Their character of distribution is close to distribution of some ore elements, that assumes the availability of paragenetic connections between them. The quantitative ratio of hydrocarbon components from hydrothermal samples with background ones determine that biogenic organic matter does not play a considerable role in these processes. The formation of a significant part of carbon matters in deposits of the Axis mountain is likely to be associated with advection of matter by hydrothermal solutions.