New data about small-magnitude earthquakes of the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel Ridge, Arctic Ocean

At the present time there is available detailed bathymetry, gravimetric, magnetometer, petrological, and seismic (mb > 4) data for the Gakkel Ridge. However, so far not enough information has been obtained on the distribution of small-magnitude earthquakes (or microearthquakes) within the ridge area due to the absence of a suitable observation system. With the ZFI seismic station (80.8° N, 47.7° E), operating since 2011 at the Frantz Josef Land Archipelago, we can now register small-magnitude earthquakes down to 1.5 ML within the Gakkel Ridge area. This article elaborates on the results and analysis of the ZFI station seismic monitoring obtained for the period from December 2011 to January 2015. In order to improve the accuracy of the earthquakes epicenter locations, velocity models and regional seismic phase travel-times for spreading ridges in areas within the Euro-Arctic Region have been calculated. The Gakkel Ridge is seismically active, regardless of having the lowest spreading velocity among global mid-ocean ridges. Quiet periods alternate with periods of higher seismic activity. Earthquakes epicenters are unevenly spread across the area. Most of the epicenters are assigned to the Sparsely Magmatic Zone, more specifically, to the area between 1.5° E and 19.0° E. We hypothesize that assignment of most earthquakes to the SMZ segment can be explained by the amagmatic character of the spreading of this segment. The structuring of this part of the ridge is characterized by the prevalence of tectonic processes, not magmatic or metamorphic ones.