Seawater percolating through the fractured crust along ridge systems acts to both remove salts from and add salts to seawater.

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Seawater percolating through the fractured crust along ridge systems can undergo hydrothermal alteration, where it is heated and reacts with minerals in the crust. This process can remove some salts from seawater, but it can also add dissolved metals and other elements to the seawater, such as sulfur, copper, and zinc. As a result, the composition of hydrothermal vent fluids can be significantly different from that of seawater.

Seawater Percolating Through the Fractured Crust Along Ridge Systems Acts