Hydroacoustic Monitoring of Seafloor Spreading and Transform Faulting in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Seismicity along mid-ocean ridges and oceanic transform faults provides insights into the processes of crustal accretion strike-slip deformation. In equatorial Atlantic ocean, slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge is offset by some longest-offset on Earth, which remain relatively poorly understood due to its remote location far from land-based teleseismic receivers. A catalog T-phase events detected an array ten autonomous hydrophones deployed between 2011 2015, extending 20°N 10°S presented. The final 6843 has a magnitude completeness 3.3, compared 4.4 for International Seismic Center covering same region, allows investigation dual fault slip. seismicity rate observed at asymmetric spreading segments (those hosting detachment faults) significantly higher than that symmetric centers, 74% known hydrothermal vents occur segments. Aseismic patches are present nearly all faults, including Romanche where regional rotation transpression could explain both bathymetric uplift reduction in seismic activity. patterns provide insight thermal mechanical structure ridge axis associated potentially method investigating distribution vent systems.