Geochemistry and genesis of Fe-Mn mineralization in island arcs in the west Pacific Ocean

This paper presents materials on the chemical and mineralogical composition of Fe-Mn mineralization in island arcs (Kurile, Nampo, Mariana, New Britain, New Hebrides, and Kermadec) in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. The mineralization was proved to be of hydrothermal and/or hydrogenic genesis. The former is produced by hydrothermal Fe and Mn oxi-hydroxides that cement volcanic-terrigenous material in sediments. Some Fe oxi-hydroxides can be derived via the halmyrolysis of volcaniclastic material. Crusts of this stage are characterized by fairly low concentrations of trace and rare elements, and their REE composition is inherited from the volcanic-terrigenous material. The minerals of the Mn oxi-hydroxides are todorokite and “Ca-birnessite.” The Mn/Fe ratio increases away from the discharge sites of the hydrothermal solutions. The hydrogenic Fe-Mn crusts are characterized by high concentrations of trace and minor elements of both the Mn group (Co, Ni, Tl, and Mo) and the Fe group (REE, Y, and Th). The hydrogenic crusts consist of Fe-vernadite and Mn-feroxyhyte. Some of the hydrothermal crusts originally had a hydrothermal genesis. The first data were obtained on crust B30-72-10 from the Macauley Seamount in the Kermadec island arc, which contained anomalously high concentrations of Co (2587 ppm) and other Mn-related trace elements in the absence of hydrogeneous Fe oxi-hydroxides.     

Rock magnetic and petrographical–mineralogical studies of the dredged rocks from the submarine volcanoes of the Sea-of-Okhotsk slope within the northern part of the Kuril Island Arc

The rock magnetic properties of the samples of dredged rocks composing the submarine volcanic edifices within the Sea-of-Okhotsk slope of the northern part of the Kuril Island Arc are studied. The measurements of the standard rock magnetic parameters, thermomagnetic analysis, petrographical studies, and microprobe investigations have been carried out. The magnetization of the studied rocks is mainly carried by the pseudo-single domain and multidomain titanomagnetite and low-Ti titanomagnetite grains. The high values of the natural remanent magnetization are due to the pseudo-single-domain structure of the titanomagnetite grains, whereas the high values of magnetic susceptibility are associated with the high concentration of ferrimagnetic grains. The highest Curie points are observed in the titanomagnetite grains of the igneous rocks composing the edifices of the Smirnov, Edelshtein, and 1.4 submarine volcanoes.     

GPS-based crustal deformations in Azerbaijan and their influence on seismicity and mud volcanism

Using Shen’s method (Shen et al., 1996), deformations of the Earth’s crust in Azerbaijan were studied based on GPS measurements. For estimating the rate of deformation, we used the field of velocity vectors for Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia, and Armenia that were derived from GPS measurements during 1998–2012. It is established that compression is observable along the Greater Caucasus, in Gobustan, the Kura depression, Nakhchyvan Autonomous Republic, and adjacent areas of Iran. The axes of compression/contraction of the crust in the Greater Caucasus region are oriented in the S-NE direction. The maximum strain rate (approximately 200 × 10^?9 per annum) is documented in the zone of mud volcanism at the SHIK site (Shykhlar), which is marked by a sharp change in the direction of the compression axes (SW-NE). It is revealed that the deformation field also includes the zones where strain rates are very low approximating 5 × 10^?9 per annum. These zones include the Caspian-Guba and northern Gobustan areas, characterized by extensive development of mud volcanism. The extension zones are confined to the Lesser Caucasus and are revealed in the Gedabek (GEDA) and Shusha (SHOU) areas, as well as in the zone located between the DAMO and PIRM sites (Iran), where the deformation rate amounts to 100 × 10^?9 per annum. It is concluded that the predominant factor responsible for the eruption of mud volcanoes is the intensity of gas-generation processes in the earth’s interior, while deformation processes play the role of a trigger. The zone of the epicenters of strong earthquakes is correlated to the gradient zone in the crustal strain rates.     

Specific features of the mineral composition and petromagnetic properties of rocks from the Minami-Khiosi submarine volcano (Mariana island arc)

Complex studies of the mineral composition and petromagnetic properties of the rocks which compose an edifice of the Minami–Khiosi submarine volcano located in the Mariana island arc are carried out for the first time. The Minami–Khiosi Volcano is a part of the Khiosi volcanic complex within the alkaline province of the Idzu–Bonin and Mariana island arcs. All of the rocks analyzed are enriched in K₂O (1.34–3.30%), Ba (370–806 ppm), and Sr (204–748 ppm). The basalt has a porhyric texture and contains mosTy olivine phenocrysts as individual crystals and growths with a size up to 2 cm; the groundmass is finecrystalline. The samples studied contain at least three Fe-bearing oxide minerals. These are predominant magnetite and less abundant ilmenite and Fe hydroxides. It is established that the samples studied are magnetically isotropic and have high values of natural remanent magnetization and Königsberger ratio. Similarly to the other island-arc Late Cenozoic submarine volcanoes in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, the samples studied are strongly differentiated by the value of natural remanent magnetization and magnetic susceptibility. The low-coercivity magnetic minerals (titanomagnetite and magnetite) of the pseudo-single-domain structure, as well as high-coercivity minerals (hematite) are the main carriers of magnetization. The high values of natural remanent magnetization are explained by the pseudo-single-domain structure of the titanomagnetite grains, whereas the high values of magnetic susceptibility result from the high concentration of ferromagnetic grains.     

Comparative Characteristics of Fe-Mn Crusts from the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans

Oceanology - Ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) crusts in the ocean accumulate significant amounts of strategically important elements necessary for the development of high technologies. The recent study of...     

Ferromanganese crusts from the Sea of Okhotsk

New data on the microstructures and the mineral and chemical compositions of ferromanganese crusts obtained from the western slope of the Kuril Island Arc in the Sea of Okhotsk during cruises of the R/V Vulkanolog are discussed. The study of the crusts using analytical electron microscopy methods revealed that their manganese phase is represented by vernadite, Fe-vernadite, todorokite, asbolane, and asbolane-buserite, while the iron phase consists of hematite, hydrohematite, ferroxyhite, and magnetite. The assemblage of lithic minerals includes apatite, quartz, epidote, and montmorillonite. According to the chemical analysis, most of the crusts contain a significant share of volcanogenic and hydrothermal material, which is evident from the elevated values of the Mn and Ti modules, the low concentrations of some trace elements, and the positive Eu anomaly in the rare earth elements composition.     

A comparative analysis of magnetic properties in rocks: Five active submarine volcanoes in the western Pacific

We studied the petrophysical and magnetic properties of dredged rocks that compose the edifices of five active submarine volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean, viz., the Fukujin, Esmeralda, Kovachi, and Simbo at island arcs, and Ile des Cendres in a marginal sea. We measured the standard petrophysical and magnetic characteristics and performed three kinds of thermomagnetic analysis as well as an electron-probe analysis. Comparative analysis of magnetic properties in rocks showed that they are strongly differentiated by the value of natural remanent magnetization and of magnetic susceptibility. The greatest values are shown by the Esmeralda aphyric basaltic andesites, the lowest occur in the Ile des Cendres xenoliths. The principal carriers of magnetization in the rocks are grains of unaltered and/or oxidized titanomagnetite with varying domain structures. All the samples are magnetically isotropic.     

Ferromanganese nodules from the East Siberian Sea near Bennett Island

Ferromanganese nodules recovered from the bottom of the East Siberian Sea near Bennett Island are studied by coupled ultramicroscopic and ICP-MS methods. The majority of nodules are flattened dense formations 2.5 to 10 cm in cross section and circled by a thick rim, which is common in nodules from other Arctic basins. The major components of nodules are iron and manganese oxides in the form of ferruginous vernadite and magnetite, as well as accessory minerals, including apatite and titanomagnetite. The major and trace element compositions of nodules are comparable to Arctic nodules from other Arctic seas, but somewhat different compared to those from the Mendeleev Rise. A specific feature of these nodules is that they contain high amounts of mercury in all samples and a positive europium anomaly in one sample, along with gold; this may be related to the influence of endogenous gas-and-vapor exhalations.     

Volborthite Occurrence at the Alaid Volcano (Atlasov Island,Kuril Islands,Russia)

Geology of Ore Deposits - Abstract—Yellow volborthite Cu2.95(V1.91P0.09)Σ2O7(OH)1.90·2H2O, and turquoise atacamite, Cu2[Cl0.98(OH)0.02]Σ1.00(OH)3 have been found incrusting...     

Distribution of Chemical Elements in the Mineral Fraction of Ferromanganese Crusts of the NW Pacific

Doklady Earth Sciences - The distribution of Fe, Mn, Cu, V, Zn, and Ni in the mineral fractions of ferromanganese crusts of different genesis, which were formed within island arcs, is considered...