Advances and Future Drilling Opportunities in the Dragon Horn Area, Southwest Indian Ridge

Current understanding of deep-sea hydrothermal systems along the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) is largely based on indirect geophysical observations and modeling results， lacking direct geological evidence. This gap highlights the need for drilling to test hypotheses suggesting that hydrothermal heat may originate from mantle upwellings along deep faults rather than traditional magma chambers. The Dragon Horn Area (DHA) at 49.7°E of the SWIR is characterized by unique geological features， including two significant phases of large-scale detachment faulting and potential mantle-derived heat sources. These features have formed two distinct metallogenic belts with active hydrothermal systems， creating an ideal environment for the formation of polymetallic sulfide deposits and maintenance of diverse hydrothermal ecosystems. Targeting the DHA will help answer key questions regarding the three-dimensional architecture of hydrothermal circulation， mantle-crust interactions and heat sources， tectonic evolution， and microbial ecology of extremophiles. Drilling at the DHA supports the strategic objectives of the “Scientific Framework for Ocean Drilling toward 2050，” such as exploring life’s origins， tectonic processes， and global elemental cycles. This multidisciplinary approach， integrating geology， geochemistry， biology， and geophysics， promises transformative insights into Earth’s deep-sea environments and their resources. Such efforts are fully aligned with the long-term vision of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program.