海底热液活动的环境与产物

近23年的调查研究,使我们认识到分布于洋中脊、弧后盆地、岛弧和热点等环境的海底热液活动发育在多种围岩类型之上,包括超基性岩石、基性岩石、中性岩石、酸性岩石和沉积物。海底热液活动经历了岩浆去气作用、流体-岩石/沉积物相互作用和流体-海水混合,获取了岩浆、岩石、海水和沉积物的物质,构成了热液循环,产生了高温、低氧、高或低pH值、富含Fe、Mn、Cu、Zn、Pb、Hg、As等元素以及气体组分（甲烷、氢等）的喷口流体,影响了海水、沉积、岩石和生物环境,形成了热液柱、硫化物、含金属沉积物和蚀变岩石等热液产物,组成了海底热液系统。未来,促进海底热液活动探测技术和热液产物测试方法的发展,对海底热液区的岩石、喷口流体、热液柱、硫化物、含金属沉积物以及热液循环、生物活动的持续观测与研究,无疑将为人类探知海底地质过程及生命活动、保护海底热液环境和合理开发利用海底资源提供有力的工作支撑。     

Hydrothermal manganese oxide deposits from Baby Bare seamount in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

Manganese oxide crusts were recovered from Baby Bare seamount in order to investigate the history of off-axis hydrothermal venting. Baby Bare is a small basement high protruding from a regional sediment cover on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge that acts as a focus for discharging crustal fluids. Stratabound Mn-oxide crusts were collected where warm venting has been observed near the seamount summit. Mn-oxide crusts are composed primarily of 10 Å manganate ± pyrolusite, with minor nontronite, saponite, and/or barite. These assemblage and chemical characteristics such as high Mn/Fe ratios and low trace metal and REE concentrations are indicative of a hydrothermal origin. Minimum ages for these deposits, calculated using growth rates (324 to ∼ 1800 mm/Ma) and estimated thicknesses of manganese outcrops, show that Baby Bare has been hydrothermally active for at least 0.5 Myr, and possibly since its formation (1.7–2.7 Ma). Hydrothermal manganese oxide crusts such as these from Baby Bare record interactions between the hydrothermal fluids and seawater and are important tools for estimating the longevity of off-axis hydrothermal activity.     

大洋岩石圈板块俯冲构造背景下流体的地质作用

地幔中存在着大量的“水”(存在形式:H₂O、H+和(HO)?)已是不争的事实,这些“水”既可以以流体或熔体的形式存在,又可以存在于含水矿物、名义上的无水矿物和致密含水镁硅酸盐中。在本文中,“流体”是指以水为主体包括溶解于水中或随水迁移的元素和化合物。在俯冲带的地震作用、地幔部分熔融、岩浆作用以及海底热液活动等重大地质作用过程中,流体都发挥着重要的作用。俯冲带是水化了的大洋岩石圈板块俯冲进入地球深处的关键部位,也是壳幔相互作用的重要地带。在俯冲带,流体随俯冲的岩石圈板块进入地球深部,部分在挤压和摩擦热的作用下脱逸俯冲的岩石圈板块,连同岩石矿物变质所产生的水进入上覆地幔楔,从而降低上覆地幔物质的熔点,产生岩浆;岩浆上升一方面加热了沿裂隙或物质间隙下渗的海水,另一方面也会因岩浆冷却产生岩浆作用后期热液流体,这些加热的下渗海水和岩浆作用后期流体构成了现代海底热液活动的物质基础;海底热液活动不仅将大量地下元素或物质输入大洋水体从而影响了大洋海水的物质组成及生态环境,而且在海底形成了具有重要经济价值的热液多金属矿体。因此,流体是贯穿板块俯冲及其所产生的各种重要地质作用过程的介质,从而成为研究这些重要地质作用的示踪剂。本文在分析了大洋岩石圈板块俯冲构造背景下流体的主要地质作用过程的基础上,探讨了流体在俯冲带地震发生机制、岩浆作用过程、现代海底热液活动模式及俯冲带流体成矿作用等方面的作用,并进一步提出近期研究工作应主要集中在4个方面:(1)进一步准确地定量评估通过板块俯冲作用进入地球深部的“流体”通量,为最终解决全球地球化学或物质循环问题作出贡献;(2)全面、准确地描述俯冲作用中流体的物理和化学行为,建立俯冲带流体地质作用的理论模型;(3)充分利用现代化的测试分析手段,重点获取矿物原位微区分析、矿物流体包裹体物理化学指标测试、稳定和放射性同位素分析等方面的精细准确数据,用于查明当前取样观测手段无法触及的地下深处物质状态和作用过程;(4)发展数值模拟技术,建立俯冲带流体地质作用的理论模型。     

东马努斯海盆PACMANUS热液区Cu的物质来源：质量守恒模拟证据

东马努斯海盆位于巴布亚新几内亚的俾斯麦海域,是一个正在扩张的弧后盆地,与其活动热液喷口相关的热液产物,是现代海底系统中富含铜最丰富的矿产资源之一。火山岩与这种成矿作用有着密切的关系,然而通过海水对火山岩的淋滤作用是否可以为富含Cu的硫化物提供充足的Cu元素。PACMANUS热液区位于东马努斯海盆,质量守恒模拟在该热液系统的应用表明,由于水岩反应中较低的淋滤、转移和沉淀效率,通过热液流体对稳定反应区（0.144 km³）的简单淋滤无法满足硫化物矿床中Cu的需求。即使在100%的淋滤、转移和沉淀效率条件下,为了满足PACMANUS热液区硫化物中Cu的总量,仍需要0.166 km³体积的火山岩参与淋滤作用。
形成富含金属元素的岩浆流体的关键在于金属元素可以在挥发分中富集。首先,俯冲物质对地幔楔的交代作用,导致了东马努斯海盆地区生成的岩浆具有较高的氧逸度,进而使其岩浆房中富集Cu元素。其次,Pual Ridge的安山岩包裹体的气泡中富含Cu元素,进一步证实了在东马努斯海盆,Cu元素通过岩浆脱气作用向挥发分中运移。数值模拟结果显示,每1 km³体积的岩浆就可能向热液系统中运移0.236 Mt Cu。因此,岩浆脱气作用可能比淋滤作用更显著。     

Geochemistry and stable isotope constraints on high-temperature activity from sediment cores of the Saldanha hydrothermal field

The Saldanha hydrothermal field is hosted atop a mafic–ultramafic seamount, located at a non-transform offset on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Previous observations revealed a field where transparent low-temperature fluids discharge through centimeter-sized vents without the formation of chimney structures. We present geochemical and stable isotope (O and C) analyses from sediment samples collected at this field, both at and far from the vent area. Most sediments, including some directly adjacent to orifice vents, are pelagic oozes with only a weak hydrothermal overprinting. Hydrothermal precipitates are characterized by Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides and a minor amount of Cu–Zn sulphide minerals. However, one of the cores (SCD7) collected at the vent area shows a much stronger hydrothermal signature. This core is composed of a matrix of serpentine + talc ± chlorite with high porosity, where calcite + chalcopyrite + sphalerite/wurtzite ± pyrite–pyrrhotite were precipitated. In this core, metal enrichments, REE patterns, and the oxygen and carbon isotope composition of calcites indicate that mineralization must have occurred in the subsurface by high-temperature fluids, with minor mixing with seawater and with a significant magmatic contribution. Thus, while most samples confirm previous findings indicating that Saldanha hydrothermal fluid discharge is mainly diffuse and of low temperature, data from core SCD7 suggest that areas of high-temperature hydrothermal activity also occur, where temperatures of the fluids could reach > 260 °C and maximum temperatures of 330 °C. We suggest that fluids can flow through faults at the top of the mount and discharge in a more focused way through vent orifices, producing intense hydrothermal alteration of the sediments. At these locations complex hydrothermal processes occur, including reactions of the hydrothermal fluids with mafic and ultramafic rocks and magma degassing, as suggested by the carbon isotope composition of hydrothermal calcites. The high temperature of the fluid inferred from the geochemistry of the hydrothermal minerals requires a significant heat input to the system, suggesting an additional magmatic heat source to the already proposed exothermic serpentinization reactions.     

海底热液矿床地质和地球化学特点研究

海底热液矿床具有重要的经济价值和科学意义。其产出构造背景包括洋中脊、弧后扩张中心及板内热点处。处于不同构造环境的热液矿床具有不同的地质和地球化学特点。系统总结了海底热液矿床产出的地质和地球化学特点,主要包括热液矿床产出的构造背景、围岩类型、矿区的矿物及矿物组合特点以及不同热液区矿床的元素组成、稀土和硫同位素特点等,对各构造环境中热液矿床的特点进行了对比,指出不同热液区热液矿床地质和地球化学特点差异的根本原因在于所处构造环境的不同和扩张速率的差异。文章最后提出了今后应着重研究的几个问题。     

布拜图对PACMANUS热液区Si-Fe-Mn-羟基氧化物沉淀条件的指示

Utilizing Si, Fe and Mn concentrations within the end-member PACMANUS hydrothermal fluid, Si-Fe-MnH_2 O Pourbaix diagrams were constructed at 300°C and 25°C. The Pourbaix diagrams show that the main Si, Fe and Mn oxides species precipitating from the hydrothermal fluid were Si O_2, Fe(OH)_3, Fe_3(OH)_8, Mn_3O_4, and Mn_2O_3 at 25°C. During mixing of hydrothermal fluid with seawater, Si O_2 precipitated earlier than FeMn-oxyhydroxides because of the lower stability boundary. Then Fe(OH)_2 precipitated first, followed by Fe_3(OH)_8 and Fe(OH)_3, and last, small amounts of Mn_3O_4 and Mn_2O_3 precipitated. Fe(OH)_3 was readily deposited in alkaline solution with little influence by Eh. There were many Si-Fe-Mn-concentric particles in the polished sections of the massive precipitates collected from PACMANUS. In the concentric nucleus and ellipsoid, Si oxides precipitated first before the hydrothermal fluid had mixed with seawater. In the concentric nucleus, after the precipitation of Si oxides, the increase of p H and Eh promoted the precipitation of Mn oxides around the Si oxides. In the large ellipsoid, the precipitation of Fe was divided into two periods. In the early period, increase of p H value of hydrothermal fluid produced by low-temperature convection and an input of a small volume of seawater promoted a small amount of Fe(OH)_3 to precipitate in the Si-rich core. In the late period, after complete mixing with seawater and the resultant fluid was close to neutral or slightly alkaline in p H, Fe(OH)_3 was easily precipitated from the solution and distributed around the Si-rich core.     

Hydrothermal Metalliferous Sediments and Waters Off the Lesser Antilles

Considerable metal enrichments have been found in hydrothermal fluids and metalliferous sediments off the central Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc. The elements variably enriched in the fluids as a result of the hydrothermal activity are Fe, Mn, As, Si, B, Li and in the sediments, Fe, P, Mo, As, Sb, Hg, Cu and Pb. Variations in the concentrations of these elements in both fluids and sediments along the arc result from a number of factors, the most important of which is the stage that each island's volcano has reached in its eruptive cycle. Although hydrothermal mineralization on the sea floor off the islands is only low grade, phase separation in the hydrothermal fluids at depth could be leading to higher grade stockwork mineralization below the vent fields or the discharge of metal rich brines on the lower flanks of the volcanic islands.     

Submarine Hydrothermal Mineralization on the Izu–Bonin Arc,South of Japan: An Overview

Abstract

Considerable effort has been expended in studying the Izu–Bonin Arc over the past 15 years. In particular, 43 dives of the Shinkai 2000 have been undertaken there to discover and evaluate the extent of submarine hydrothermal activity and mineralization. Most effort has been focused on Myojin Knoll (23 dives), Suiyo Seamount (6 dives), and Kaikata Caldera (10 dives).

The Izu–Bonin Arc is divided in two by the Sofugan Tectonic Line. Eight submarine caldera are located north of this line but only one is south of it. The physiography of the northern sector of the arc is quite different from that of the southern sector. Volcanic rocks from the northern sector are more acidic than those from the southern sector.

Evidence for submarine hydrothermal mineralization has been observed at four seamounts along the Izu–Bonin Arc (Myojin Knoll, Myojinsho, Suiyo Seamount, and Kaikata Caldera), and submarine hydrothermal activity is evident at another three seamounts along the arc (Kurose Hole, Mokuyo Seamount, and Doyo Seamount).

The most extensive submarine hydrothermal mineral deposit so far located on the Izu–Bonin Arc is the Sunrise deposit at Myojin Knoll. This deposit, at least 400 m in diameter and 30 m high, is associated with black smoker venting, inactive sulfide chimneys, massive sulfides, hydrothermal Mn crusts, and a hydrothermal vent fauna. The maximum recorded temperature of the hydrothermal vents there was 278°C. Some of the sulfide chimneys contained as much as 49 μg/g Au and 3,400 μg/g Ag. The sunrise deposit is one of the largest submarine volcanic massive sulfide deposits so far discovered in midocean ridge, backarc, or arc settings and has an estimated mass of 9 × 10⁶ t. This deposit may be of the Kuroko-type. The discovery of the Sunrise deposit in 1997 gives hope that other, similarly large, sulfide deposits may be found in other caldera along the Izu–Bonin Arc.

The geological variability along the arc, the high seismicity, the occurrence of active volcanism and submarine hydrothermal venting, and a proven submarine hydrothermal mineral potential coupled with the proximity of the region to Japan suggest that the Izu–Bonin Arc could profitably serve as a natural laboratory for the long-term monitoring of the seafloor.     

冲绳海槽Jade热液场烟囱物稀土元素和锶、钕同位素地球化学特征

热液烟囱物是弧后扩张盆地现代海底热液活动成矿系统的重要产物.冲绳海槽中的伊是名(Izena)海洼Jade热液活动区烟囱物稀土元素特征表现为轻稀土元素相对富集,并具有铕的较强的正异常.87Sr/86Sr和143Nd/144Nd的平均值分别为0.708928和0.512292,介于冲绳海槽海水和海槽酸性浮岩中的值之间.这些特征表明,Jade热液活动区的热液硫化物矿床的成矿物质来源于下伏的酸性火山岩.矿床的成矿机制可描述为:下渗的海水被加热,它与酸性火山岩发生水-岩热化学交换反应时淋滤出大量的成矿物质形成以富含轻稀土元素为特征的热水溶液;当热液喷出并发生快速结晶沉淀时,形成了以具有轻稀土元素相对富集和铕的正异常为特征的铜-锌硫化物和重晶石-非晶质SiO₂型矿石.     

Mineralogy and geochemistry of hydrothermal sediments from the serpentinite-hosted Saldanha hydrothermal field (36°34′N; 33°26′W) at MAR

The Saldanha hydrothermal field is located at the top of a serpentinized massif (Mount Saldanha, MS) at a non-transform offset (NTO5) along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), south of the Azores. It is one of the rare known sites on a worldwide basis where direct evidence of low-temperature (7–9 °C) hydrothermal activity has been provided by direct observation of hydrothermal fluid venting through small orifices in the ocean floor sedimentary cover. This study focuses on the mineralogy and geochemistry of 14 sediment cores collected at MS. For comparison, four samples collected at the Rainbow site (NTO6) were also studied. Mount Saldanha hydrothermal sediments are highly “diluted” within a dominant foraminiferal nanofossiliferous ooze with small fragments of underlying rocks. The mineral assemblage of the hydrothermal component is characterized by sulphides, nontronite, smectites, poorly crystallized Mn oxyhydroxides and amorphous material. Cu, Zn and Fe sulphides, Mn–Mg oxy-hydroxides and putative manganobrucite were also identified in one sample collected at an orifice vent. In this sample, micro-chimneys (conduits) composed of isocubanite and sphalerite were also identified. Mount Saldanha sediments show a clear enrichment in elements such as Mn, Mg, Fe, Cu, P and V, derived from hydrothermal fluids, and Ni, Cr and Co, derived from ultramafic rocks. The geochemical data together with the observed mineral assemblage suggest that the hydrothermal fluids are at a higher temperature than those measured at the escape orifices (7–9 °C), and a strong enrichment in Mg, mainly at the top of the mount, agrees with extensive mixing of the hydrothermal fluid with unmodified seawater. Nevertheless, the mineral assemblage of MS sediments is consistent with the precipitation from hydrothermal fluids at much lower temperatures than at Rainbow. The presence of serpentinized and steatitized (talcshist) ultramafic rocks and the occurrence of a strong methane anomaly within the overlying water column collectively suggest that the hydrothermal circulation at MS is driven by exothermic reactions closely associated with the serpentinization process. Rainbow sediments have a higher concentration in transition metals and consequently an enrichment in sulphides. These differences are likely to be a consequence of the higher temperature of hydrothermal fluids, reflected in the composition of hydrothermal solutions, and of a stronger hydrothermal flux at the Rainbow site.     

Sources of Minor and Rare-Earth Elements in Hydrothermal Edifices of Near-Continental Rifts with Sedimentary Cover: Evidence from the Guaymas Basin,Southern Trough

The mineralogy and geochemistry of a fragment of an active hydrothermal edifice from the Hydrothermal Hill of the Southern Trough valley of the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California were studied. The sample was collected from a depth of 1995 m by the Pisces manned submersible on cruise 12 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences. The fragment and the edifice itself consists of two accrete pipes: ore (pyrrhotite) and barren (carbonate) combined in a single edifice by an outer barite–opal zone. The ore edifice is located in the rift zone of the Guaymas Basin with a thick sedimentary cover and is depleted in metals in comparison with ores from rift zones of the open ocean, which are not blocked by sedimentary deposits. This is explained by loss of metals at the boundary between hot sills and sedimentary rocks and by the processes of interaction of hydrothermal solutions with sedimentary deposits. The sedimentary series faciitates long-term preservation of endogenous heat and the ore formation process. Ore edifices of the Guaymas Basin are mostly composed of pyrrhotite, have a specific set of major elements, microelements and REEs, and contain naphthenic hydrocarbons. They may be search signs of hidden polymetallic deposits, considered to be the roots of ore occurrences localized under the surface of the bottom in young active rifts with high spreading and sedimentation rates, i.e., in near-continental areas of rifts of the humid zone with avalanche sedimentation.     

现代海底热液场低温弥散流区微生物生态的研究进展

现代海底低温热液弥散流区微生物生态的发育情况已经成为当前热液系统研究关注的热点之一。大量的分析表明在低温热液弥散流区赋存着丰富的化能自养微生物,以硫、铁等元素的氧化还原反应获取新陈代谢能量,这些微生物的分布与低温热液流体的物理化学条件有着密切的联系。这些发现极大地丰富了我们对低温弥散流区微生物生态、关键地球化学过程与微生物新陈代谢耦合关系的认识。此外,低温热液流体是研究洋壳深部生物圈的窗口,通过这个窗口可以了解地壳内部生命的新陈代谢方式,进而理解地球内部微生物与洋壳内部流体、岩石之间的相互作用机制。     

Hydrothermal Metalliferous Sediments and Waters Off the Lesser Antilles

Abstract

Considerable metal enrichments have been found in hydrothermal fluids and metalliferous sediments off the central Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc. The elements variably enriched in the fluids as a result of the hydrothermal activity are Fe, Mn, As, Si, B, Li and in the sediments, Fe, P, Mo, As, Sb, Hg, Cu and Pb. Variations in the concentrations of these elements in both fluids and sediments along the arc result from a number of factors, the most important of which is the stage that each island's volcano has reached in its eruptive cycle. Although hydrothermal mineralization on the sea floor off the islands is only low grade, phase separation in the hydrothermal fluids at depth could be leading to higher grade stockwork mineralization below the vent fields or the discharge of metal rich brines on the lower flanks of the volcanic islands.     

现代海底超镁铁质岩系热液系统与地质意义

现代海底热液循环与洋中脊地质过程一直是国际洋中脊计划研究的热点.海底热液系统多数都与海底玄武岩及其水-岩反应直接相关,而一类与深海橄榄岩的产出及其蛇纹石化作用有关的海底热液系统——超镁铁质岩系热液系统,以具有高浓度H2和CH4异常而低SiO2浓度为显著特征,主要分布在慢速扩张大西洋中脊和超慢速扩张北冰洋Gakkel洋脊和西南印度洋中脊.超镁铁质岩系热液系统在流体组成、构造背景和硫化物成矿方面与玄武岩热液系统有很大差异,主要表现在地幔来源超镁铁质岩石的普遍出露、喷口流体高的H2和CH4异常以及硫化物中高Co/Ni比值.超镁铁质岩系热液系统的发现丰富了全球洋中脊热液系统的研究内容,对洋中脊地质过程、海底热液活动及其成矿作用研究具有重要意义.     

Submarine Hydrothermal Mineralization on the Izu-Bonin Arc, South of Japan: An Overview

Considerable effort has been expended in studying the Izu-Bonin Arc over the past 15 years. In particular, 43 dives of the Shinkai 2000 have been undertaken there to discover and evaluate the extent of submarine hydrothermal activity and mineraliza tion. Most effort has been focused on Myojin Knoll (23 dives), Suiyo Seamount (6 dives), and Kaikata Caldera (10 dives). The Izu-Bonin Arc is divided in two by the Sofugan Tectonic Line. Eight submarine caldera are located north of this line but only one is south of it. The physiography of the northern sector of the arc is quite different from that of the southern sector. Volcanic rocks from the northern sector are more acidic than those from the southern sector. Evidence for submarine hydrothermal mineralization has been observed at four seamounts along the Izu-Bonin Arc (Myojin Knoll, Myojinsho, Suiyo Seamount, and Kaikata Caldera), and submarine hydrothermal activity is evident at another three seamounts along the arc (Kurose Hole, Mokuyo Seamount, and Doyo Seamount). The most extensive submarine hydrothermal mineral deposit so far located on the Izu-Bonin Arc is the Sunrise deposit at Myojin Knoll. This deposit, at least 400 m in diameter and 30 m high, is associated with black smoker venting, inactive sulfide chimneys, massive sulfides, hydrothermal Mn crusts, and a hydrothermal vent fauna. The maximum recorded temperature of the hydrothermal vents there was 278°C. Some of the sulfide chimneys contained as much as 49 μg / g Au and 3,400 μg / g Ag. The sunrise deposit is one of the largest submarine volcanic massive sulfide deposits so far discovered in midocean ridge, backarc, or arc settings and has an estimated mass of 9 x 10 6 t. This deposit may be of the Kuroko-type. The discovery of the Sunrise deposit in 1997 gives hope that other, similarly large, sulfide deposits may be found in other caldera along the Izu-Bonin Arc. The geological variability along the arc, the high seismicity, the occurrence of active volcanism and submarine hydrothermal venting, and a proven submarine hydrothermal mineral potential coupled with the proximity of the region to Japan suggest that the Izu-Bonin Arc could profitably serve as a natural laboratory for the long-term monitoring of the seafloor.     

Comparative mineralogy and geochemistry of hydrothermal iron‐rich crusts from the Pitcairn,Teahitia‐mehetia,and Macdonald hot spot areas of the S. W. pacific

Abstract

Hydrothermal iron‐rich crusts have been recovered from a number of hot spot volcanos including Crough Seamount, Pitcairn Volcanos 2 and 1, Cyana Seamount, Teahitia, Moua Pihaa, and Macdonald Seamount in the S. W. Pacific. Mineralogically, the crusts consists of ferrihydrite with traces of the weathering products of volcanic ash (feldspar, nontronite, pyroxene, and serpentinite). The iron oxyhydroxide phase has a mean particle size of 3–4 nm indicating rapid deposition. Electron microprobe studies have revealed the presence of filamentous iron‐silica deposits within the crusts reflecting the possible bacterial oxidation of iron from the hydrothermal fluids. The crusts display wide variability in composition both between individual sampling stations and between seamounts. Endmember analysis shows that the compositional data can be resolved into three endmembers: a Fe‐rich endmember, a light and heavy rare earth element endmember, and a Ba (barite)‐rich endmember. The Fe‐rich endmember appears to contain very low concentrations of most trace elements. For bulk samples, the composition of the iron‐rich crusts reflects dilution of the iron oxyhydroxide phase by volcanic ash and, to a lesser extent, a hydrogenous component. This is illustrated by the wide variability in SiO₂ (11.1–71.3%) and Mn (0.01–1.21%) contents of the crusts. For iron‐rich crusts containing greater than 40% Fe, the Pitcairn crusts display lower contents of Pb, Ba, Mo, U, Th, As, and rare earth elements (REE) and lower cerium anomalies than those from Teahitia. REE profiles of crusts from each of the hot spot volcanoes are characterized by small negative cerium anomalies but pronounced positive europium anomalies. The low average La/Fe ratios of the crusts from the various seamounts (47–572 X 10^‐6) and positive Eu anomalies of the crusts suggest rapid deposition of the iron oxyhydroxide near the hydrothermal vent. The high Fe/Mn ratio of vent fluids at hot spot volcanoes (8.5–5.6) may account for the formation of these iron‐rich crusts. The present data indicate that there may be differences in the nature of the iron‐rich crusts based on the depth of occurrence. This influences the temperature of the venting hydrothermal fluids and the possibility of occurrence of submarine phreatomagmatic eruptions.     

Comparison of Modern Zn-Ba-Pb Ore Deposits at Convergent Plate Margins and Fe-Cu-Zn Deposits at Divergent Plate Margins

At divergent plate margins, black smoke forms immediately on contact of ascending hydrothermal solutions with sea water. The black smoke, consisting mainly of black ore (BO) and barite ore (BaO), is rapidly dispersed in seawater leaving behind a dominantly yellow ore (YO). At convergent plate margins, on the other hand, zinc sulfides and associated chalcophilic elements start depositing within the hydothermal mound at mesothermal temperatures, and are largely trapped there to form a mixed yellow, black and barite ore (YO-BO-BaO). The abundance of individual chalcophilic elements within the mixed ore varies by more than four orders of magnitude, with Zn-Pb-Ba-Cu-As-Sb-Cd being the elements most enriched in these deposits. The differing patterns of element deposition in these two tectonic settings is related to the temperature of the hydrothermal fluids, which is a function of water depth and therefore of tectonic setting (mid-ocean ridge vs volcanic arc). In highly sedimented basins, such as the JADE hydrothermal field in the Okinawa Trough, Pb and other chalcophilic elements are leached from the sediment by slowly migrating hydrothermal fluids to form a mixed black-yellow-barite ore (BO-YO-BaO). This type of deposit is the most enriched in Zn-Pb-Ba-As-Sb-Ag in decreasing order of element abundance. These results indicate that black ore (sphalerite plus galena) is most enriched in sedimented-hosted deposits such as the JADE deposit, is moderately enriched in submarine hydrothermal mineral deposits from convergent plate margins and is poorly enriched in submarine hydrothermal mineral deposits from divergent plate margins.     

Distal axis sulfide mineralization on the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge: an LA-ICP-MS study of pyrite from the East Longjing-2 hydrothermal field

The newly discovered East Longjing-2 hydrothermal field (ELHF-2) is located on the Dragon Horn oceanic core complex of the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge, approximately 12 km from the ridge axis. This study measured the chemical compositions of pyrite from ELHF-2 using a laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to investigate the genesis of the field. Three generations of pyrite were classified, and found that: Py1 and Py2, rich in V, Mn, U, and Se, occur in altered basalt debris and the silica alteration matrix, respectively. Py3 was mainly intergrown with chalcopyrite in quartz veins and had higher Cu, In, Ag, Sb, and Au contents than Py1 and Py2. Some elements, such as Au, Se, and Pb, are likely presented as direct substitution with Fe2+ in pyrite, while Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, and Ag probably occur both as direct substitution with Fe and as distributed micro- to nanoparticle-sized sulfides. Meanwhile, the occurrence of V, Mn, and U is likely presented as oxide inclusions. Trace element geochemistry suggested that the pyrite was formed under high-temperature conditions, and the ore forming elements were likely derived from ultramafic rocks. In addition, Py1 and Py2 were formed under higher water/rock ratio and higher temperature conditions, with more seawater involvement compared with Py3. The formation of ELHF-2 was probably driven by exothermic serpentinization reactions with an additional magmatic heat. This study shows that high-temperature hydrothermal circulation driven by magmatic activity can be developed on distal rift flank areas of magma-starved ultraslow-spreading ridges.     

华南寒武纪海洋中沉积矿床及其古环境

寒武纪早期是华南的一个重要的沉积矿床形成阶段。在华南扬子板块下寒武统黑色岩系中产有大量的金属及非金属矿床,其中倍受关注的矿床有Ni-Mo-PGE多金属硫化物矿床、磷矿床与重晶石矿床。Ni-Mo-PGE多金属硫化物矿床的形成可能与海底热液喷流作用有关,成矿元素除海水源外,有部分来自深部热液;磷矿床形成于特定的浅海环境,成矿物质的聚集可能与有机质和含铁胶体有关;重晶石矿床的形成也与海底热液和有机质有关。这些矿床保存了大量的古海洋信息,对其进行深入研究可以揭示华南寒武纪大爆发时期的古海洋环境变化特征。