Red sea hot brine area: revisited.

A return expedition to the hot brine area of the Red Sea in 1971 found that the temperature of the brine had increased, indicating that the process that formed the underlying deposits rich in heavy metals is still occurring. About 0.346 cubic kilometers of water having a minimum temperature of 104 degrees C has been added over the last 52 months. Calculations suggest that this water may have come from a relatively shallow depth; this result coupled with the fact that fracture zones are found north and south of the brine area indicates a relatively local source for the brine, rather than the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, as previously suggested.