Peculiarities of present-day sulfide mineralization at 19°15′—20°08′ N,Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Based on studies conducted on the 33rd cruise of the R/V Professor Logachev in 2010, a new type of sulfide mineralization of the mid-oceanic ridges has been established. It was formed in the present-day organic sediments due to diffuse penetration of hydrothermal fluids that emanated along the fractures in basalts on the slopes of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.     

Chronology of Hydrothermal Activity Within the Yubileynoye Ore Field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 20°08′ N)

This paper reports on the integrated geochronological and geochemical methods used in studying the ore deposits and metalliferous sediments of the Yubileinoye field. This study gives the opportunity to carry out cross dating of hydrothermal deposits, including the ²³⁰Th/U dating of sulfides, the ²³⁰Th, ¹⁴C dating, and foraminiferal analysis of the sediments, and, on this basis, to reconstruct hydrothermal activity over time. It was established that the ores started forming about 100 000–123 000 years ago and were renewed 4–5 times with a frequency of 10–20 ka. As a result, the complex of pyrite-marcasite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite ores and the associated metal-bearing and ore-bearing sediments with consistent geochemical specialization were formed. The integrated geochronological and geochemical studies of the ores and sediments allow us to obtain detailed data on evolution of the hydrothermal ore-formation not only in the certain areas but also for the entire Mid-Atlantic Ridge.     

Mineral Composition and Geochemical Zoning of Bottom Sediments in the Pobeda Hydrothermal Cluster (17°07.45′ N–17°08.7′ N Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

Lithology and Mineral Resources - The paper presents the mineral and chemical compositions of carbonate, metalliferous, and ore-bearing sediments developed within the Pobeda ore cluster based on...     

Behavior of Trace Elements during Oxidation of Sphalerite of the Irinovskoe Hydrothermal Sulfide Field (13°20′ N,Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

Geology of Ore Deposits - The formation of present-day seafloor sulfide deposits is accompanied by their continuous oxidation and crystallization of insoluble Fe oxyhydroxides, which absorb metals...     

Geochemical and isotopic signatures of magmatic products in the MAR rift valley at 12°49′–17°23′ N and 29°59′–33°41′ N: Evidence of Two contrasting sources of the parental melts

Data presented in the paper suggest significant differences between the thermodynamic conditions under which magmatic complexes were formed in MAR at 29°–34° N and 12°–18° N. The melts occurring at 29°–34° N were derived by the melting of a mantle source with a homogeneous distribution of volatile components and arrived at the surface without significant fractionation, likely, due to their rapid ascent. The MAR segments between 12° and 18° N combine contrasting geodynamic environments of magmatism, which predetermined the development of a large plume region with the widespread mixing of the melting products of geochemically distinct mantle sources. At the same time, this region is characterized by conditions favorable for the origin of localized zones of anomalous plume magmatism. These sporadic magmatic sources were spatially restricted to MAR fragments with the Hess crust, whose compositional and mechanical properties were, perhaps, favorable for the focusing and localization of plume magmatism. The plume source between 12° and 18°N beneath MAR may be geochemically heterogeneous.     

Miocene to recent history of the western Altiplano in northern Chile revealed by lacustrine sediments of the Lauca basin (18°15′–18°40′ S/69°30′–69°05′W)

The intramontane Lauca Basin at the western margin of the northern Chilean Altiplano lies to the west of and is topographically isolated from the well-known Plio-Pleistocene lake system of fluvio-lacustrine origin that covers the Bolivian Altiplano from Lake Titicaca to the north for more than 800 km to the Salar de Uyuni in the south. The Lauca Basin is filled by a sequence of some 120 m of mainly upper Miocene to Pliocene elastic and volcaniclastic sediments of lacustrine and alluvial origin. Volcanic rocks, partly pyroelastic, provide useful marker horizons. In the first period (6–4 Ma) of its evolution, the Lago Lauca was a shallow ephemeral lake. Evaporites indicate temporarily closed conditions. After 4 Ma the lake changed to a perennial water body surrounded by alluvial plains. In the late Pleistocene and Holocene (2-0 Ma) there was only marginal deposition of alluvial and glacial sediments. The basin formed as a half-graben or by pull-apart between 10 and 15 Ma (tectonic displacement of the basal ignimbrite sequence during the Quechua Phase) and 6.2 Ma (maximum K/Ar ages of biotites of tuff horizons in the deepest part of the basin). Apart from this early basin formation, there has been surprisingly little displacement during the past 6 Ma close to the Western Cordillera of the Altiplano. Also, climate indicators (pollen, evaporites, sedimentary facies) suggest that an arid climate has existed for the past 6 Ma on the Altiplano. Together, these pieces of evidence indicate the absence of large scale block-faulting, tilt and major uplift during the past 5–6 Ma in this area.     

Noble-metal mineralization in the Semenov-2 hydrothermal field (13°31′N), mid-atlantic ridge

The porous fine-grained to microcrystalline copper-zinc ore of the Semenov-2 hydrothermal field, a site in the Semenov hydrothermal cluster discovered in 2007 (13°31′N, MAR), is anomalously enriched in Au (22–188 ppm) and Ag (127–1787 ppm). Chalcopyrite, isocubanite, würtzite, and opal are major minerals; sphalerite, marcasite, pyrite, and covellite are auxiliary; and galena, pyrrhotite, native gold, silver telluride, barite, and aragonite are sporadic. Gold containing 0.31 to 23.07 wt % Ag occurs as up to 9-μm-sized subhedral, dendritelike, and elongated grains mostly hosted in opal and less frequently in sphalerite and in pores within isocubanite-chalcopyrite aggregate. An elongated grain (2 × 4 μm in size) of the Ag-Te phase was found in a pore. So far only basalts have been dredged from the Semenov-2 field, but anomalous gold and silver concentrations suggest the influence of ultramafic rocks; the latter were found 1.5 km westward, in the Semenov-1 hydrothermal field. Mineral assemblage and morphology of gold particles indicate its primary origin in contrast to the hydrothermal fields hosted in basalts, where gold is a product of remobilization. Zonal gold grains, found on oceanic floor for the first time, are characterized by low Ag content in the cores and high Ag content in the outer rims, reflecting variation in formation conditions.     

Peridotite-gabbro-trondhjemite association of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 12°58′ and 14°45′N: Ashadze and Logachev hydrothermal vent fields

This study aimed at reconstructing the sequence of events in the magmatic and metamorphic evolution of peridotites, gabbroids, and trondhjemites of the oceanic core complexes of the Ashadze and Logachev hydrothermal vent fields. The study object was the collections of plutonic rocks made during cruises 22 and 26 of the R/V Professor Logachev, Cruise 41 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, and the Russian-French expedition Serpentine aboard the R/V Pourquoi pas? The data reported here suggest that the oceanic core complexes of the Ashadze and Logachev fields were formed via the same scenario in the two MAR regions. On the other hand, the analysis of petrological and geochemical characteristics of the rocks indicated that the oceanic core complexes of the MAR axial zone between 12°58′ and 14°45′N show a pronounced petrological and geochemical heterogeneity manifested in variations in the degree of depletion of mantle residues and the Nd isotopic compositions of the rocks of the gabbro-peridotite association. The trondhjemites of the Ashadze hydrothermal field can be considered as partial melting products of gabbroids under the influence of hydrothermal fluid. It was supposed that the presence of trondhjemites in the MAR oceanic core complexes can be used as a marker for the highest temperature deep-rooted hydrothermal systems. Perhaps, the region of the MAR axial zone in which petrologically and geochemically contrasting oceanic core complexes are spatially superimposed served as sites for the development of large hydrothermal clusters with a considerable ore-forming potential.     

中国北方地区(33°～41°N,108°～115°E)过去500年夏季降水量的周期成分分析

利用连续小波分析和经验模态分解方法,对我国北方地区(33°～41°N,108°～115°E)1470 ～2002年每年夏季降水量指数的时间序列进行了周期成分分析,探索全球气候变暖下的该地区降水量的多尺度变化特征.小波分析表明,降水量指数的可能周期有2.57a,4.83a,10.65a,23.25a,48.56a,68.30a和105.90a的周期,在95％置信水平有统计意义的周期是2.57a和23.25a的周期.这些周期和自然因素导致的周期相联系,不仅包含了气候系统内部(平流层准2a振荡和厄尔尼诺/南方涛动)的非线性作用,还包含了气候系统外(主要是太阳活动)受强迫的周期变化,且二者在原始降水量中所在比重相当,共同反映了原始降水量的绝大部分变化.降水量不只是在百年尺度上受太阳活动的驱动,在数十年尺度上也受到太阳活动的影响.我国北方地区的夏季降水量指数和夏季温度指数同相位反相关,全球增温并没有明显地改变二者之间的反相关关系.近百年来全球变暖期间,夏季降水量出现明显的新特征:短周期成分(小于30a的周期)的振幅比以往要显著大,而长周期成分的振幅比以往要显著小,同时呈现降水量逐年减少的长期变化趋势.     

Conditions of the formation of plagiogranite from the Markov trough,Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 5°52′-6°02′N

Doklady Earth Sciences -     

Noble metals in sulfide assemblages from deep sectors of the active TAG mound (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 26°08′ N)

Primary sulfides from cores of holes 957M, 957C, and 957H drilled during the ODP Leg 158 on the active hydrothermal TAG mound (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 26°08′ N) were examined for the concentration of several elements. Based on 262 microprobe analyses, it has been established that the sulfides are characterized by an extremely heterogeneous distribution of noble metals (Au, Ag, Pt, and Pd) and several associated elements (Hg, Co, and Se). Noble metals are arranged in the following order in terms of decreasing abundance, i.e., concentration level above the detection limit (the number of analyses containing the specific element is given in parentheses): Au (65), Ag (46), Pt (21), and Pd (traces). The associated trace elements make up the following series: Co (202), Hg (132), and Se (49). Main carriers of the “invisible” portion of noble metals are represented by pyrite (Au, Hg), marcasite and pyrite (Ag, Co), sphalerite and chalcopyrite (Pt, Pd), and chalcopyrite (Se). The noble metal distribution in sulfides reveals a lateral zonality: the maximal concentration and abundance of Au in chalcopyrite (or Pt and Ag in chalcopyrite and pyrite) increase from the periphery (Hole 957H) to the center (holes 957C and 957M) of the hydrothermal mound, while the Au distribution in pyrite displays a reversed pattern. The Co distribution increases with depth. This work discusses the vertical zonality in the distribution of elements mentioned above and their response to the evolution of ore genesis.     

Influence of hydrothermal-metasomatic processes on the formation of present-day sulfide ores in carbonate bottom sediments of the mid-Atlantic Ridge (19°–20° N)

Based on materials obtained in Cruises 33 and 34 of the R/V Professor Logachev, the paper addresses formation conditions, morphology, structures, mineral composition of the present-day oceanic sulfide ores, and their relationships with the host (biogenic carbonate) bottom sediments in the 19°–20° N MAR (Zenith-Victoria and Petersburg hydrothermal fields) region. The grain size distribution, mineral composition of the carbonate (background) and ore-hosting sediments, as well as physicochemical parameters of their interstitial waters, are examined. The results suggest a significant role of hydrothermal-metasomatic processes in the formation of ores and ore-bearing sediments. A model is proposed for the formation of sulfide mineralization in oceanic sediments at the geochemical barrier in the zone of their interaction with the acid hydrothermal (diffuse-type) ore-bearing solutions delivered from rocks of the ocean floor.     

Petrogenetic conditions at 18°–20° N MAR: Interaction between hydrothermal and magmatic systems

The paper presents petrological and geochemical data on mantle peridotite, basalt, and metamorphic rocks sampled in Cruise 36 of the R/V Professor Logachev at the MAR axial zone between 17° and 20° N. These data are interesting not only as providing new information on the inner structure of the oceanic crust in the still-poorly known axial MAR segment but also in the context of the fundamental problem of interaction between magmatic and hydrothermal systems in slow-spreading mid-oceanic ridges. The MAR axial zone between 17° and 20° N was determined to host both weakly and strongly depleted residual peridodites, which suggests that the degree of mantle source melting significantly varied along the ridge axis in this segment. The MAR crest zone comprises slabs of serpentinized peridotite brought to the seafloor surface at various time. The most strongly depleted mantle peridotites likely uplifted later than the mildly and weakly depleted rocks in the same areas. A mantle reservoir beneath the MAR axial zone at 20° N is not isotopically related to the mantle source of the parental MORB melts, and high-Mg metabasites exposed at 17°56- N were derived from a crustal source that was modified near the root zone of a high-temperature hydrothermal system. The studied area seems to display traces of an extinct hydrothermal field and likely an ore occurrence related to it.     

Variolitic lavas in the axial rift of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and their origin (Sierra Leone area, 6°18′N)

Altered variolites described for the first time in the axial zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are represented by rounded globules of andesite (icelandite) composition with light trachyandesite rim embedded in a picrobasaltic matrix. The globules were transferred with picrobasaltic melt and then floated to the surface of lava flow, while formation of leucocratic rims was presumably related to thermodiffusion (Soret effect) in a cooling heterogeneous melt. This heterogeneous melt was formed by penetration of ascending column of picrobasaltic magma in already existing small intracructsal magmatic chamber filled with residual icelanditetype andesite melt and involvement of the latter into a general upward movement. The rapid ascent of the melts in the oceanic spreading zones by means of turbulent flowing caused dispersion of the extragenous melt into small drops in a jet of picrobasaltic magma, without their interaction. Variolites were formed during cooling of such heterogeneous lava flow. No signs of liquid immiscibility were found in the studied variolites.     

Mineralogical and geochemical zoning of sediments at the Semenov cluster of hydrothermal fields, 13°31′-13°30′ N, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

New material from eight columns recovered during Cruise 32 of the R/V Professor Logachev in 2009 was used to explore the lithological facies, biostratigraphy, mineralogy, and geochemistry of sediments from the northwestern (active) and eastern (inactive) hydrothermal vent fields of the Semenov cluster. Mineral types of sediments were distinguished, and a general scheme was proposed for the vertical structure of the hydrothermal-sedimentary sequence overlying massive sulfide ores. It was found that the ore-bearing sediments exhibit a vertical zoning in the distribution of mineral assemblages, which are controlled by oxygen activity. The mechanisms of the formation of atacamite, CuCl₂ · 3Cu(OH)₂, which is a widespread mineral in red iron-oxide bodies replacing sulfides (gossans), were evaluated.