Earthquakes increase hydrothermal venting and nutrient inputs into the Aegean

Areas of submarine gas and water venting around the island of Milos, in the Hellenic volcanic island arc, were mapped. Water samples were collected from five stations in the geothermally active Paleohori Bay on 15 March 1992. Seismic events, of Ms 5.0 and 4.4, occurred south of the Bay on 20 March and the sampling was repeated after these. Phosphate and manganese in the water column increased by 360% after the seismic activity. Analysis of water samples collected from gas and water seeps and of interstitial water from sediment cores showed that the hot sediment in the Bay was enriched in phosphate, to a mean concentration of 65 μmol l−1 in the interstitial water. The number of geothermally active areas in the Aegean, together with the extent of venting and the frequency of earthquakes suggests that the hydrothermal areas may be an important source of phosphate in this oligotrophic Sea.