ABSTRACT
A new finite element algorithm is presented in this paper, which employs non-orthogonal quadrilateral meshes and hence can simulate uneven surface topography, arbitrarily-shaped rock units and free-oriented open fractures. The scheme is used to investigate heat and fluid transport within an active ridge crest hydrothermal mound. A 2-D conceptual model is constructed based on the drilling results of the TAG active sulfide mound in Mid-Atlantic Ridge. A tree-shaped discrete open fracture is incorporated, representing the primary and secondary conduits in the TAG site. Numerical results indicate that a central high-temperature zone is formed, consistent with a non-magnetic zone inferred from magnetic data. Fluid moves upwards along the open conduits and erupts into the seawater in a manner similar with the central black smokers and the off-central blue and white smokers in the TAG mound. The velocity magnitude is also in the order of the observed data.
