Iron-rich metalliferous sediments on the East Pacific Rise: prototype of undifferentiated metalliferous sediments on divergent plate boundaries

Sediments in a zone on the East Pacific Rise with an especially high spreading rate were studied chemically, mineralogically, and microscopically. They consist of a mixture of metalliferous sediments and plankton tests. The metalliferous sediments were formed by an acidic, hydrothermal leaching of tholeiitic basalt with seawater and subsequent precipitation in contact with cold near-bottom seawater. We assume the precipitation from hydrothermal solutions in this part of the East Pacific rise to be undifferentiated due to the high spreading rate and the resulting rapid flow on the water through the basalt. Thus, these metalliferous sediments are an initial stage type that have not undergone differentiation.Mn, Mo, La, Cu, V, Ni, Fe, Zn, Co, and Y, all of which are leachable in acidic, hydrothermal solutions, are enriched in the metalliferous sediments in comparison to the tholeiitic basalts.Zr, Al, and Ti, on the other hand, which under the same conditions are not easily leached, are reduced in their concentrations.All components of the metalliferous sediments precipitated as hydroxides or as adsorbed ions on the hydroxides of other elements. This is due to the oxidizing conditions in the near-bottom seawater. The sedimentation rate is high; the almost 3-m-long cores reach only to the Late Pleistocene. The only distinctly observable diagenetic process for this period of time is the formation of goethite from amorphous iron oxides.Only for Na, K, and Rb does it seem possible that a distinct enrichment in the sediments by adsorption from the seawater could have taken place.Ca, Sr, Pb, and perhaps Sc, are primarily bound to the planktonic carbonate part of the sediments.     

Ferromanganoan sediments in the equatorial East Pacific

Ferromanganoan sediments containing little or no CaCO₃ have been found to occur extensively throughout the region between the East Pacific Rise and the Galapagos Rise. Concentrations of Fe and Mn of up to 18 and 6.5%, respectively, accompany low concentrations of Al and Ti. The concentrations of Cu, Ni, and Zn are also high relative to more typical pelagic sediments.While chemically similar to the non-carbonate fraction of metalliferous sediments previously described from the East Pacific Rise, the mineralogy is markedly different. A non-detrital smectite makes up the bulk of sediment (70 to 90%) and is the most important iron bearing phase. Fe and Mn oxides, occurring primarily as micro-nodules, comprise 10 to 20% of the sediment. Detrital material is relatively rare, amounting to less than 10% in all samples.     

Metal accumulation rates in the Southeast Pacific and the origin of metalliferous sediments

Metal accumulation rates over the East Pacific Rise and Bauer Deep rule out normal authigenic precipitation of iron and manganese as the major mechanism of enrichment to the metalliferous sediments. A hydrothermal source located along the East Pacific Rise is compatible with the transition metal and aluminum accumulation rates. For the Bauer Deep the accumulation rate data suggest either that metal-bearing phases are being transported from the rise to the protected basins of the deep or that a second hydrothermal source exists within the Bauer Deep. A major portion of the minor elements being deposited in the Bauer Deep could result from authigenic precipitation, thus accounting for their distinctive chemical composition.     

Phosphorus accumulation rates in metalliferous sediments on the East Pacific Rise

Based on phosphorus, iron and manganese analyses in 16 cores (5 dated) from the crest and flanks of the East Pacific Rise and the Bauer Deep we estimate that phosphorus is being deposited about 20 times faster in metalliferous sediments near the rise crest than in adjacent flank deposits, and about 40 times faster on the crest than in the Bauer Deep. Almost all of the phosphorus on the rise crest is contained in poorly crystallized hydrothermal iron oxyhydroxides, supporting Berner's (1973) proposal of phosphate sorption by these phases. The phosphate is probably derived from seawater, but some hydrothermal contribution cannot be excluded at this time. Flux estimates indicate that metalliferous sedimentation could remove 15–40% of the pre-agricultural river input of dissolved phosphate.     

Phosphate removal from sea water by adsorption on volcanogenic ferric oxides

Chemical data presented in this paper indicate a good correlation between P₂O₅ and Fe₂O₃ in some iron-rich volcanogenic sediments from the East Pacific Rise. In addition, adsorption experiments and chemical analyses of deuterically altered and unaltered samples of submarine basalts strongly suggest that this association is due to the reaction of phosphate in sea water with poorly crystallized hydrous ferric oxides. East Pacific Rise sediments adsorb far greater amounts of phosphate from sea water than either carbonate or non-carbonate sediments from other areas of the ocean. From geochemical flux calculations it is concluded that an appreciable proportion of dissolved phosphate delivered to the oceans by rivers is removed by ridge crest volcanogenic iron oxides either as absorbed surface coatings or as discrete, but highly disordered, ferric phosphate phases. This process should be taken into consideration when considering oceanic phosphate budgets, both in the present and past oceans.     

Pb–Nd isotopic constraints on sedimentary input into the Lesser Antilles arc system

The Lesser Antilles arc is a particularly interesting island arc because it is presently very active, it is located perpendicular to the South American continent and its chemical and isotopic compositions display a strong north–south gradient. While the presence in the south of a thick pile of sedimentary material coming from the old South American continent has long been suspected to explain the geochemical gradient, previous studies failed to demonstrate unambiguously a direct link between the arc lava compositions and the subducted sediment compositions.Here, we present new Nd, Sm, Th, U and Pb concentrations and Nd–Pb isotopic data for over 60 sediments from three sites located in the fore arc region of the Lesser Antilles arc. New data for DSDP Site 543 drill core located east of Dominica Island complement the data published by White et al. [White, W.M., Dupré, B. and Vidal, P., 1985. Isotope and trace element geochemistry of sediments from the Barbados Ridge–Demerara Plain region, Atlantic Ocean. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 49: 1875–1886.] and confirm their relatively uniform isotopic compositions (i.e., ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb between 19.13 and 19.53). In contrast, data obtained on DSDP Site 144 located further south, on the edge of the South American Rise and on sediments from Barbados Island are much more variable (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ranges from 18.81 to 27.69). The very radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions are found in a 60 m thick black shale unit, which has no age equivalent in the Site 543 drill core. We interpret the peculiar composition of the southern sediments as being due to two factors, (a) the proximity of the South American craton, which contributes coarse grain old detrital material that does not travel far from the continental shelf, and (b) the presence of older sediments including the thick black shale unit formed during Oceanic Anoxic events 2 and 3.The north–south isotopic change known along the Lesser Antilles arc can be explained by the observed geographical changes in the composition of the subducted sediments. About 1% contamination of the mantle wedge by Site 543 sediments explains the composition of the northern islands while up to 10% sediments like those of Site 144 is required in the source of the southern island lavas. The presence of black shales in the subducted pile provides a satisfactory explanation for the very low Δ8/4 values that characterize the Lesser Antilles arc.     

Possible contribution of the asthenosphere, below the subducted oceanic lithosphere, to the genesis of arc magmas: Geochemical evidence from the andean southern volcanic zone (33–46°S)

The application of the Sr/Ca-Ba/Ca systematics to volcanic rocks of the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone (33°S–46°S) has revealed a good correlation between the estimated degree of partial melting required to generate primary magmas and the projected extensions of the oceanic Nazca plate fracture zones under the continental South American plate. Magmas erupted at volcanic centers situated above these projections are thought to have been derived from primary magmas generated by relatively high degrees of melting, whereas those erupted at other centers are thought to have evolved from magmas produced by comparatively low degree of fusion. We interpret this relationship to reflect the facilitation of heat and mass transfer from the asthenosphere below the subducted oceanic lithosphere to the subarc mantle by the fracture zones. This contribution enhances the degree of melting of the subarc mantle source as well as the fraction of material derived from the subducted oceanic crust. This model predicts the predominance of basalts depleted in incompatible trace elements in centers located above the Nazca plate fracture zone extensions and of basalts enriched in incompatible trace elements in centers situated between boundaries of fracture extensions.     

Origin of metalliferous sediments from the East Pacific Rise

The distribution of several metals in East Pacific Rise sediments, when normalized to Al₂O₃, exhibit stronger maxima near the rise crest than when simply plotted on a carbonate-free basis. The similarity (1) between the distribution of metals in ridge sediments and previously measured mean heat flow values and (2) between the composition of crestal sediments and terrestrial ore bodies associated with greenstone belts, strongly supports a hydrothermal origin for rise crest sediments.     

The role of collisional tectonics in the metallogeny of the Central Andean tin belt

The Inner Arc of the Central Andes, broadly corresponding to the Eastern Cordillera, is the location of a rich Tertiary and Triassic Sn–W–(Ag-base metal) metallogenic province, commonly referred to as the Bolivian tin belt. We propose that the Tertiary metallogeny, which generated most of the tin ores, was a direct consequence of discrete “collisions” between the South American plate and the Nazca slab and sub-slab mantle, during the ongoing Andean orogeny. Evidence supporting this proposal include: (1) the coincidence of the tin province and the Inner Arc in a marked “hump” in the Andean orogen, which may represent tectonic indentation; (2) the symmetry of the tin province with respect to the Bolivian orocline, the axis of which corresponds to the direction of highest compression; (3) the relative symmetry of the magmatism and tin mineralization with respect to this axis; (4) the concurrent timing of mineralization and compressional pulses; (5) the similar host rock geochemistry and ore lead isotope data, testifying to a common crustal reservoir; and (6) the striking similarity of the igneous suites, associated with the ore deposits to those from “typical” collisional orogens. A number of studies have called upon a persistent tin anomaly to explain the metallogeny of the region. We propose, instead, that the latter is better explained by periodic compressional interaction between the Farallon/Nazca oceanic plate and the South American continent. This led to the generation of peraluminous magmas, which during fractional crystallization exsolved the fluids responsible for the voluminous Sn–W mineralization.     

Metallogenesis on a Mesozoic passive continental margin,Antalya Complex,southwest Turkey

A variety of Fe, Mn and trace-metal-enriched Mesozoic pelagic sediments are associated with the tectonically emplaced Antalya Complex in southwestern Turkey. Palaeotectonic settings represented within the complex comprise a continental platform, passing laterally through a Mesozoic passive margin into a zone of marginal oceanic crust, formed during the early stages of continental separation. The origins of the metalliferous sediments are elucidated using mineralogical, major, trace element and REE data, and comparisons with oceanic and ophiolite-related sediments.Late Triassic deposition during the initial continental separation was mostly terrigenous, including detrital carbonate derived from adjacent reef complexes. During the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous the passive margin underwent accumulation of fine-grained terrigenous matter and biogenic silica in deep water below the carbonate compensation depth. Argillaceous mudstones deposited during a regional hiatus at the end of the Upper Triassic show unusual Fe and trace metal enrichment, together with a marked positive Ce anomaly, indicative of slow hydrogenous accumulation.The marginal oceanic crustal zone also shows dominantly terrigenous and siliceous biogenic deposition but with the addition of an important hydrothermal component represented by Fe-Mn deposits. These occur within and immediately above the Upper Triassic lavas of the oceanic crust and as intercalations in the overlying Lower Cretaceous radiolarian chert sequence. Most of these sediments show strong Fe-Mn fractionation; several show a negative Ce anomaly implying rapid incorporation of the REEs from seawater.The Upper Triassic Fe-Mn deposits associated with the lavas are relatively trace-element-depleted and record rapid localised precipitation from relatively high-temperature hydrothermal solutions. By contrast, the more manganiferous and trace-element-enriched metalliferous horizons in the Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous chert sequences represent more dilute low-temperature hydrothermal discharge. Regional comparisons suggest that dominantly manganiferous deposits free of sulphides are characteristic of the early formed Mesozoic ocean crust compared with well established spreading axes like the Troodos Massif, Cyprus.     

Geologic implications of microfossils in submarine volcanics

Samples of basalt and palagonite tuff-breccia dredged from the East Pacific Rise and Eickelberg Ridge in the northeast Pacific contain Foraminifera, diatoms, and other microorganisms associated with sediments. Microfossils are found in large vesicles in the interior of the rock. Palagonite tuff-breccias include sediments containing microfossils. It is shown that these fossils and sediments were incorporated in the basalts and palagonite tuff-breccias during eruptions. Samples from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and from Iceland substantiate this thesis. A model for submarine eruptions, which is an extension of Nayudu’s hypothesis for the origin of guyots, is presented. This model suggests that considerable reworking of sediments occurs during submarine eruptions. It is further concluded that: (1) Turbidity currents are generated by submarine eruptions; (2) These turbidity currents provide a mechanism for transport of volcanic material on the sea floor, which may produce graded sediments; (3) Low-velocity layers on the margins of the ridges, rises, and sea-mounts are primary pillow-palagonite tuff-breccias with intercalated sediments ranging in density from 2.00 – 2.6 g/cc. (4) Interpretation of the age of truncation of some seamounts based on fossils contained in volcanic breccias are questionable. On the contrary, these fossils may suggest the maximum age of the eruption. Observations presented on the role of submarine volcanism further suggest that some interpretations of age relations in the geologic column may need re-evaluation.     

Subduction influence on magma supply at the East Scotia Ridge

Despite a spreading rate of 65–70 km Ma⁻¹, the East Scotia Ridge has, along most of its length, a form typically associated with slower rates of sea floor spreading. This may be a consequence of cooler than normal mantle upwelling, which could be a feature of back-arc spreading. At the northern end of the ridge, recently acquired sonar data show a complex, rapidly evolving pattern of extension within 100 km of the South Sandwich Trench. New ridge segments appear to be nucleating at or near the boundary between the South American and Scotia Sea plates and propagating southwards, supplanting older segments. The most prominent of these, north of 56°30′S, has been propagating at a rate of approximately 60 km Ma⁻¹ for at least 1 Ma, and displays a morphology unique on this plate boundary. A 40 km long axial high exists at the centre of this segment, forming one of the shallowest sections of the East Scotia Ridge. Beneath it, seismic reflection profiles reveal an axial magma chamber, or AMC, reflector, similar to those observed beneath the East Pacific Rise and Valu Fa Ridge. Simple calculations indicate the existence here of a narrow (<1 km wide) body of melt at a depth of approximately 3 km beneath the sea floor. From the topographic and seismic data, we deduce that a localised mantle melting anomaly lies beneath this segment. Rates of spreading in the east Scotia Sea show little variation along axis. Hence, the changes in melt supply are related to the unique tectonic setting, in which the South American plate is tearing to the east, perhaps allowing mantle flow around the end of the subducting slab. Volatiles released from the torn plate edge and entrained in the flow are a potential cause of the anomalous melting observed. A southward mantle flow may have existed beneath the axis of the East Scotia Ridge throughout its history.     

Hydrothermal sediments associated with a relict back-arc spreading center in the Shikoku Basin, recovered from the Nankai accretionary prism, Japan

The hemipelagic mudrocks of the Nankai accretionary prism, Japan, contain hydrothermal deposits associated with a relict spreading center in the Shikoku Basin. Initial work on core samples from Ocean Drilling Program site 808 found several samples with elevated concentrations of calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese, at depths of between 1060 and 1111 m below sea floor. However, the origin of these sediments was uncertain, due to a lack of data. There was no recorded evidence of whether these elevated concentrations were present throughout this interval of core, or if they were present as discrete layers with the background hemipelagic mudrocks in between. In the present study the core was resampled, and the sediments with anomalous chemical compositions were found to be present in discrete layers. This fact, along with a detailed interpretation of their geochemistry, has allowed them to be identified as hydrothermal sediments, associated with the relict spreading center in the Shikoku Basin. The lower (older) two layers display a chemical composition typical of umbers, while the upper (younger) two layers are metalliferous mudrocks typical of deposits found further from the spreading center.     

The origins of rare earths in metalliferous sediments of the Troodos Massif. Cyprus

The ferromanganoan umbers which overlie the uppermost pillow lavas of the Troodos Massif, Cyprus, are strongly enriched in REE relative to normal pelagic clays. Together, the umbers, related ferruginous sediments, and the ochres which are associated with massive cupriferous sulphides located within the lavas, all show light REE enrichment. There is a marked negative Ce anomaly which is characteristic of seawater. Field and chemical data suggest that the REE were incorporated into ferruginous precipitates derived from deep leaching of tholeiitic lavas by seawater. All the metalliferous sediments can be interpreted as related events in the evolution of the Troodos ocean ridge. In contrast, REE patterns of bentonitic clays above the umbers indicate a predominantly continental derivation.     

Cyprus umbers: Chemical precipitates on a Tethyan ocean ridge

Iron-rich mudstones (umbers), directly overlying pillow lavas of the Troodos Massif, Cyprus, are interpreted as precipitates connected with late stages of volcanism on a Cretaceous ocean ridge. Chemical composition of the basal sediments allies them with the basal iron-rich sediments of the East Pacific Rise. Overlying radiolarites and chalks are more comparable to normal pelagic sediments. Sedimentary features and stratigraphic relations suggest rapid deposition of umbers, relative to the overlying sediments.     

Mapping the Miocene Farallon Ridge jump on the Pacific plate: a seismic line of weakness

Bathymetric and magnetic data are used to obtain estimates, on the Pacific and Nazca plates, of the boundaries separating lithosphere generated at the old Farallon Ridge from the more recent one created at the present-day East Pacific Rise. An excellent correlation is found with the sites of known teleseismically recorded intraplate seismicity, suggesting that these boundaries, which are lines of age discontinuity in the plate, must be zones of weakness of the lithospheric plate. In particular, the so-called Region C, identified by Okal et al. as a major site of seismic release, sits on a small piece of Farallon plate, in the immediate vicinity of the northern extension of the fossil Roggeveen Rise, cut across by the East Pacific Rise during the ridge jump.     

Strontium isotopes in basalts from the Pacific Ocean basin

Basalts being erupted in the Pacific Ocean Basin vary in Sr isotopic composition in a simple geographic pattern. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr increases away from the East Pacific Rise to very high values for islands in the south-central Pacific. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr variations are almost certainly related to past segregation of Rb, K, and other large cations. The segregation process was probably incipient partial melting which resulted in various mantle zones being enriched or depleted.     

REE and (э)Nd of clay fractions in sediments from the eastern Pacific Ocean: Evidence for clay sources

Clay fractions in the non-calcareous surface sediments from the eastern Pacific were analyzed for clay minerals, REE and 143Nd/144Nd. Montmorillonite/illite ratio (M/I ratio), total REE contents ((REE), LREE/HREE ratio and cerium anomaly (бCe) may effectively indicate the genesis of clay minerals. Clay fractions with M/I ratio >1, бCe (0.85, (REE (400 μg/g, LREE/HREE ratio (4, and REE patterns similar to those of pelagic sediments are terrigenous and autogenetic mixed clay fractions and contain more autogenetic montmorillonite. Clay fractions with M/I ratio <1, бCe=0.86 to 1.5, ΣREE=200 to 350 μg/g, LREE/HREE ratio (6 and REE distribution patterns similar to that of China loess are identified as terrigenous clay fraction. The 143Nd/144Nd ratios or (э)Nd values of clay fractions inherit the features of terrigenous sources of clay minerals. Clay fractions are divided into 4 types according to (э)Nd values. Terrigenous clay minerals of type I with the (э)Nd values of -8 to -6 originate mainly from North American fluvial deposits. Those of type II with the (э)Nd values of -9 to -7 are mainly from the East Asia and North American fluvial deposits. Those of type III with (э)Nd values of -6 to -3 could come from the central and eastern Pacific volcanic islands. Those of type IV with (э)Nd values of -13 to -12 may be from East Asia eolian. The terrigenous and autogenetic mixed clay fractions show patchy distributions, indicating that there are volcanic or hot-spot activities in the eastern Pacific plate, while the terrigenous clay fractions cover a large part of the study area, proving that the terrigenous clay minerals are dominant in the eastern Pacific.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Cretaceous A‐type granites in the Laoshan granitic complex,eastern China

Major element and trace element compositions, and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions for postcollisional granites from the Laoshan granitic complex, in the eastern side of the Triassic suture between the South China and North China tectonic blocks were determined. The granites are alkaline, A‐type and can be further classified as A1 granites. The trace element composition of these granites is transitional between those of oceanic island basalt and enriched mid‐oceanic ridge basalt, with depletions in Ba, Sr, P, and Ti that can be ascribed to mineral fractionation and enrichments in Cs, Rb, Th and U possibly resulted from the involvement of slab fluids. The isotopic signature of Laoshan granites represent a mixture between an enriched mantle type 1 (EMI)‐like end‐member and lower continental crust (LCC). We propose that the magmas that formed the Laoshan A1 granites are a mixture between those derived from the EMI‐like delaminated eclogitic rocks (subsequently enriched by fluids released from Mesozoic Pacific subducted slab) and those derived from the LCC, which consists of granulites or metamorphic residues from the prior generation of I‐type granites in the region. The mixed magmas then experienced a strongly alkali feldspar‐dominated fractionation prior to their emplacements as A‐type granites in the Laoshan granitic complex.     

南海及邻近地区面波层析成像和S波速度结构

本文介绍由面波层析成像得到的南海和邻近地区地壳上地幔三维S波速度结构.研究区域介于100°E～130°E和0°～30°N之间,南海位于区域中心,其北、西、南三面通过大陆架和陆坡分别与华南、印支和巽它地块相连,东面邻接台湾—菲律宾岛弧和西菲律宾海盆.由面波层析成像得到的速度结构横向变化与研究区内构造单元的划分基本相符,给...