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.     

Regional geochemistry of sediments from the Hellenic volcanic arc in regard to submarine hydrothermal activity

Some 600 surface sediment samples from the Hellenic Volcanic Arc region have been analyzed by bulk and HCl selective leach geochemical techniques. Geostatisti‐cal analysis, followed by further selective leaches on a number of samples, has been used in order to identify any regional hydrothermal influence on the sediments and/or any local hydrothermal metal enrichments. The two main sediment components affecting the geochemical variability in the region are biogenic carbonate and volcaniclastic/terrigenous detritus. Proximity to islands appears to be the primary factor controlling the variability in these components. Sediments from deeper water, to the south of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc and in the Anydros Basin, exhibit some elevated levels of Mn, Co, and Cu, probably of hydrogenous origin. No widespread hydrothermal influence to the sediments in the region is recognized, although this could in part be due to the high sedimentation rates in the region. Localized hydrothermal inputs to sediments are, however, recognized proximal to Santorini, in particular within the northern part of the central caldera. These are predominantly of Fe and associated adsorbed/coprecipitated elements along with some Mn enrichment. Several samples proximal to Milos, just off the coast in the northern part of the central Milos embayment, also show enrichments of commonly hydrothermally associated elements, including Mn, Cu, Zn, and Pb. Data suggest that these enrichments could, in part, be due to weathering of “on‐land”; mineralization as well as hydrothermal inputs.     

西南印度洋中脊表层沉积物中存在热液组分的地球化学证据

Hydrothermal materials in deep-sea sediments provide a robust tracer to the localized hydrothermal activity at mid-ocean ridges. Major, trace and rare earth element(REE) data for surface sediments collected from the ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge are presented to examine the existence of hydrothermal component.Biogenic carbonate oozes dominate all the sediment samples, with CaO content varying from 85.5% to 89.9% on a volatile-free basis. The leaching residue of bulk sediments by ~5% HCl is compositionally comparable to the Upper Continental Crust(UCC) in SiO_2, Al_2O_3, CaO, MgO, alkali elements(Rb, Cs) and high field strength elements(Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Ti). These detritus-hosted elements are inferred to be prominently derived from the Australian continent by means of eolian dust, while the contribution of local volcaniclastics is insignificant. In addition, the residual fraction shows a clear enrichment in Fe, Mn, and Ba compared with the UCC. Combining the positive Eu anomaly of residual fraction which is opposed to the UCC but the characteristic of hydrothermal fluids and associated precipitates occurred at mid-ocean ridges, the incorporation of localized hydrothermal component can be constrained. REE mixing calculations indicate that more than half REE within the residual fraction(~55%–60%) are derived from a hydrothermal component, which is inferred to be resulted from a diffuse fluid mineralization. The low-temperature diffuse flow may be widely distributed along the slow-ultraslow spreading ridges where crustal faults and fissures abound, and probably have a great mineralization potential.     

冲绳海槽中段沉积物物源识别及其热液活动指示

冲绳海槽中段热液活动区表层沉积物的主、微量和稀土元素分析结果表明:区内沉积物主要由陆源物质与热液源物质组分组成,Hg、Au、Sb、Cu、Pb、Zn、Ba、As、Fe和Co等微量元素富集;沉积物的化学风化程度中等,A-CN-K图解表明其暂未受到钾交代影响,且其母岩成分接近花岗闪长岩;北美页岩标准化稀土配分模式曲线整体较为平坦,轻重稀土分馏较弱,部分样品具有与热液流体类似的明显正铕异常.受热液活动影响,部分沉积物中的Fe、Cu、As、Pb和Zn显著富集,结合样品所处站位,整体显示含金属沉积物-过渡沉积物-正常沉积物的空间分配模式.结合(La/Sm)N、(La/Yb)N比值指示区内沉积物的陆源物质主要来自于黄河与台湾岛河流.     

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.     

冲绳海槽中、南部热液活动区金属硫化物的地球化学特征

对新近(2014年)采自冲绳海槽南部Yonaguni Knoll IV热液活动区和中部伊平屋热液活动区的金属硫化物样品分别进行了X射线荧光光谱(XRF)和等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)分析,旨在通过对比分析两个热液活动区金属硫化物的元素地球化学特征,探讨两个不同热液活动区成矿元素的富集规律、热液成矿的作用过程及其区域差异。研究结果表明:在冲绳海槽中部和南部热液区分布有两种金属硫化物,分别为富Fe-Zn型硫化物和Ba-Zn-Pb型硫化物(+硫酸盐);相较于大洋中脊和其它弧后盆地的热液硫化物,研究区硫化物中Pb的含量明显较高,而Cu和Fe的含量相对较低,这与冲绳海槽存在较厚的沉积盖层有关;无论是常量元素、微量元素、还是稀土元素(REE),其含量和相关的特征值都变化较大,表明研究区热液硫化物形成于不同的热液成矿阶段;富Fe-Zn型硫化物是在高温热液活动阶段形成的,而Ba-Zn-Pb型硫化物(+硫酸盐)则形成于热液喷出海底与海水混合的过程中,成矿温度较低;即使在同一热液活动区,成矿环境也有较大变化,主要表现在成矿温度的波动上;研究区热液硫化物中REE的配分模式特征表明硫化物中REE的物源相同,但经历的过程(REE的迁移和富集)有所不同,反映了热液硫化物形成于不同的热液成矿阶段;热液成矿作用存在区域性差异,海槽南部的成矿温度较中部低,成矿物质来源方面,南部热液区硫化物的Pb含量较中部高,表明其成矿物质可能部分来源于沉积物。     

东太平洋海隆13°N表层含金属沉积物物质组成与元素赋存状态

为了解不同类型含金属沉积物在物质组成和元素赋存状态的差异,对东太平洋海隆13°N洋中脊两侧表层含金属沉积物(站号:E271和E53)进行了矿物学、地球化学分析,顺序提取实验,并与前人对轴部表层沉积物(站号:17A-EPR-TVG1)的研究结果作了对比分析。研究结果表明, E271和E53是远端含金属沉积物,由非浮力热液羽状流中颗粒物沉降所形成的;17A-EPR-TVG1沉积物是近喷口含金属沉积物,由黑烟囱或者热液硫化物丘状体崩塌、堆积,或者由热液羽状流中Fe-Mn氧化物和硫化物快速沉淀而形成的,近喷口沉积物比远端沉积物更富集Fe、Cu和Zn等元素。元素在两种含金属沉积物中的赋存状态基本相同,除了Fe,Cu,Zn,Mo和稀土元素(REE)等元素在远端沉积物中主要存在于Fe-Mn氧化物相,在近喷口沉积物中主要在残留相中。远端沉积物中REE页岩标准化配分模式与海水相似,表明REE主要来自海水,而近喷口沉积物中REE配分模式与热液流体相似,说明REE以高温热液流体来源为主。相关研究结果加深了对热液沉积作用研究的认识。     

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.     

On the role of abiogenic factors in the bioaccumulation of heavy metals by the hydrothermal fauna of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

The distributions of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Pb, As, Ag, Cd, Se, Sb, and Hg in 128 samples of tissues of the organisms that inhabit hydrothermal vent fields of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Menez Gwen, Snake Pit, and Rainbow) depending on the abiotic environmental parameters were studied. The majority of the elements studied showed direct correlations between their concentrations in the fluids released and in the tissues of hydrothermal organisms. A higher degree of bioaccumulation of metals was revealed in the Bathymodiolus mussels and Rimicaris shrimps from the Rainbow hydrothermal vent field as compared to their analogues from Menez Gwen and Snake Pit. This corresponds to the maximum concentrations of the majority of the metals studied in the Rainbow high-temperature hydrothermal fluids. The highest degree of bioaccumulation of heavy metals was found in gills of the symbiotrophic mussels Bathymodiolus and in maxillipeds of the ectosymbiotic shrimps Rimicaris, i.e., in the organs that function in dependence on chemosynthetic bacteria. Within the Rainbow vent field, the shrimps, which inhabit in biotopes with more high-temperature conditions and therefore are more strongly subjected to the influence of fluids, were found to contain higher metal contents than mollusks. The Fe-Mn hydroxide films that cover mussel shells might serve as important reservoirs of other metals related to Fe and Mn.     

Accumulation rates of hydrothermal metalliferous sediments in the Lau Basin,S. W. Pacific

Five cores were recovered on a traverse in the Lau Basin at 18°30′S crossing a supposed active spreading center. The sediments were subjected to selective chemical leaching for Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and As. Accumulation rates were determined using¹⁴C. These rates increase from west to east, reflecting the influence of volcaniclastic inputs from the Tonga- Kermadec Ridge. All elements display highest non-detrital accumulation rates closest to the supposed spreading center, suggesting a hydrothermal input to the sediments there. Variable hydrothermal inputs also influence the other cores.     

Metalliferous Sediment and a Silica-Hematite Deposit within the Blanco Fracture Zone,Northeast Pacific

A Tiburon ROV dive within the East Blanco Depression (EBD) increased the mapped extent of a known hydrothermal field by an order of magnitude. In addition, a unique opal-CT (cristobalite-tridymite)-hematite mound was discovered, and mineralized sediments and rock were collected and analyzed. Silica-hematite mounds have not previously been found on the deep ocean floor. The light-weight rock of the porous mound consists predominantly of opal-CT and hematite filaments, rods, and strands, and averages 77.8% SiO₂ and 11.8% Fe₂O₃. The hematite and opal-CT precipitated from a low-temperature (≥ 115° C), strongly oxidized, silica- and iron-rich, sulfur-poor hydrothermal fluid; a bacterial mat provided the framework for precipitation.

Samples collected from a volcaniclastic rock outcrop consist primarily of quartz with lesser plagioclase, smectite, pyroxene, and sulfides; SiO₂ content averages 72.5%. Formation of these quartz-rich samples is best explained by cooling in an up-flow zone of silica-rich hydrothermal fluids within a low permeability system. Opal-A, opal-CT, and quartz mineralization found in different places within the EBD hydrothermal field likely reflects decreasing silica saturation and increasing temperature of the mineralizing fluid with increasing silica crystallinity.

Six push cores recovered gravel, coarse sand, and mud mineralized variously by Fe or Mn oxides, silica, and sulfides. Total rare-earth element concentrations are low for both the rock and push core samples. Ce and Eu anomalies reflect high and low temperature hydrothermal components and detrital phases.

A remarkable variety of types of mineralization occur within the EBD field, yet a consistent suite of elements is enriched (relative to basalt and unmineralized cores) in all samples analyzed: Ag, Au, S, Mo, Hg, As, Sb, Sr, and U; most samples are also enriched in Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn. On the basis of these element enrichments, the EBD hydrothermal field might best be described as a base- and precious-metal-bearing, silica-Fe-oxide-barite deposit. Such deposits are commonly spatially and temporally associated with volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) ores. A plot of data for pathfinder elements shows a large hot spot at the northwestern margin of the field, which may mark a region where moderate to high temperature sulfide deposits are forming at depth; further exploration of the hydrothermal field to the northwest is warranted.     

Hydrothermal mineralization along submarine rift zones,Hawaii

This is the first article to describe mineralization of midplate submarine rift zones and hydrothermal manganese oxide mineralization of midplate volcanic edifices. Hydrothermal Mn oxides were recovered from submarine extensions of two Hawaiian rift zones, along Haleakala and Puna Ridges. These Mn oxides form two types of deposits, metallic stratiform layers in volcaniclastic rocks and cement for clastic rocks; both deposit types are composed of todorokite and bimessite. Thin Fe‐Mn crusts that coat some rocks formed by a combination of hydrogenetic and hydrothermal processes and are composed of δ‐MnO₂. The stratiform layers have high Mn contents (mean 40%) and a large fractionation between Mn and Fe (Fe/Mn = 0.04). Unlike most other hydrothermal Mn oxide deposits, those from Hawaiian rift zones are enriched in the trace metals Zn, Co, Ba, Mo, Sr, V, and especially Ni (mean 0.16%). Metals are derived from three sources: mafic and ultramafic rocks leached by circulating hydrothermal fluids, clastic material (in Mn‐cemented sandstone), and seawater that mixed with the hydrothermal fluids. Mineralization on Haleakala Ridge occurred sometime during the past 200 to 400 ka, when the summit was at a water depth of more than 1,000 m. Hydrothermal circulation was probably driven by heat produced by intrusion of dikces, magma reservoirs, and flow of magma through axial and lateral conduits. The supply of seawater to ridge interiors must be extensive because of their high porosity and permeability. Precipitation of Mn oxide below the seafloor is indicated by its occurrence as cement, growth textures that show mineralizing fluids were introduced from below, and pervasive replacement of original matrix of clastic rocks.     

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。     

基于PXRF的西南印度洋脊硫化物表层沉积物地球化学找矿研究

海底热液喷发形成的热液羽状流中富含成矿物质,并沉淀在距离热液喷口不等的范围内。对西南印度洋中脊热液喷口附近、距离喷口中等距离、远离喷口的六个表层沉积物样品开展了不同粒度沉积物的便携式XRF（PXRF）分析。结果表明,PXRF可以有效获得的洋中脊钙质沉积物中成矿元素的富集特征。>40目的沉积物样品具有较高的Cu、Zn、Fe、Mn等元素含量,40目以下沉积物中则相对稳定,可能与粗粒沉积物中玄武岩碎屑/玻璃含量较高有关,与镜下鉴定结果一致。以热液喷口为中心,表层沉积物中表现出Cu、Zn、As、Fe、Mn的元素分带,靠近喷口的沉积物中具有较高的成矿元素的含量,并具有较高的Cu/Fe、Zn/Fe比值或者Cu/Mn与Zn/Mn比值。上述结论表明,洋中脊沉积物中成矿元素的含量主要受与喷口的距离的影响,而与粒度的关系不大,洋中脊沉积物地球化学找矿应采用40目以下粒径沉积物作为分析样品。通过PXRF获得的Cu、Zn、As、Fe、Mn等元素含量及其比值特征可以作为海底多金属硫化物沉积物地球化学找矿的指标,该方法满足快速有效识别洋中脊沉积物中地球化学异常的要求。     

可口革囊星虫与其栖息地底泥中的重金属含量及相关性分析

用原子吸收光谱法(AAS)和原子荧光光度法(AFS)测定了采集于北海银滩镇、厦门海门岛、宁德漳湾镇、乐清西门岛、温岭坞根镇、三门花桥镇等地区自然滩涂以及温岭坞根镇养殖区的可口革囊星虫(Phascolosoma esculentas)及其栖息地的底泥样品中Zn、Cu、Mn、Fe、Cd、Pb、Hg 和As 等8 种重金属含量, 并对检测结果进行了含量特征、生物体与栖息地底泥中重金属含量相关性分析、生物体重金属富集系数分析。结果表明: 不同栖息地可口革囊星虫间的重金属含量差异性显著(P<0.05), 各群体中Pb 含量均超过标准, 厦门海门岛群体中Cd 含量超标; 厦门海门岛、乐清西门岛自然滩涂栖息地和温岭坞根镇养殖区等底泥中重金属含量相对较高, 所有采样点底泥中Cu 含量以及乐清西门岛自然滩涂底泥中Cd 含量达到沉积物质量标准Ⅱ类; 可口革囊星虫对Zn、Cu、Fe 的富集系数均小于1, 对Mn、Cd、Pb、Hg 和As 的富集系数均大于1。Zn、Cu、Fe、Pb 和As 的富集系数在大部分群体间差异性较小; 可口革囊星虫中的Fe 和As 含量与底泥中的Fe 和As 含量高度正相关, Zn 和Hg 含量的相关性次之, 其余重金属元素含量的相关性较差。     

Smectite formation in metalliferous sediments near the East Pacific Rise at 13°N

A 43 cm long E271 sediment core collected near the East Pacific Rise(EPR) at 13°N were studied to investigate the origin of smectite for understanding better the geochemical behavior of hydrothermal material after deposition.E271 sediments are typical metalliferous sediments. After removal of organic matter, carbonate, biogenic opal,and Fe-Mn oxide by a series of chemical procedures, clay minerals(2 μm) were investigated by X-ray diffraction,chemical analysis and Si isotope analysis. Due to the influence of seafloor hydrothermal activity and close to continent, the sources of clay minerals are complex. Illite, chlorite and kaolinite are suggested to be transported from either North or Central America by rivers or winds, but smectite is authigenic. It is enriched in iron, and its contents are highest in clay minerals. Data show that smectite is most likely formed by the reaction of hydrothermal Fe-oxyhydroxide with silica and seawater in metalliferous sediments. The Si that participates in this reaction may be derived from siliceous microfossils(diatoms or radiolarians), hydrothermal fluids, or detrital mineral phases. And their δ30 Si values are higher than those of authigenic smectites, which implies that a Si isotope fractionation occurs during the formation because of the selective absorption of light Si isotopes onto Feoxyhydroxides. Sm/Fe mass ratios(a proxy for overall REE/Fe ratio) in E271 clay minerals are lower than those in metalliferous sediments, as well as distal hydrothermal plume particles and terrigenous clay minerals. This result suggests that some REE are lost during the smectite formation, perhaps because their large ionic radii of REE scavenged by Fe-oxyhydroxides preclude substitution in either tetrahedral or octahedral lattice sites of this mineral structure, which decreases the value of metalliferous sediments as a potential resource for REE.     

Hydrothermal Mineralizing Processes and Associated Sedimentation in the Santorini Hydrothermal Embayments

Seven sediment cores from the Palaea and Nea Kameni hydrothermal embayments (PK and NK) on Santorini have been studied by using sediment smear slides, X-ray diffraction, and radiocarbon techniques to determine their lithology, mineralogy, and age, respectively. The cores have been analyzed chemically for a suite of elements, including selective chemical leaching, to determine the partition of elements between coexisting phases. Lithologically and chemically, the sediments from the two embayments are very different. Sediments from PK are oxidized in the upper parts of the cores and reduced at depth; they comprise mainly hydrothermal pyritiferous diatomaceous ooze with minor Fe oxyhydroxide, volcanic debris, gypsum, and siderite. Sediments from NK are oxidized throughout and comprise predominantly amorphous iron oxyhydroxides and goethite; they are thought to have formed by direct precipitation from solution. In PK, biogenic, detrital seawater evaporate, and hydrothermal sediment phases have been identified but only the detrital inputs can be correlated between cores. Mn shows a pronounced enrichment towards the outer part of the embayment because of its dispersion down the embayment and precipitation in the more-oxidizing sediments towards the open sea. In NK, the sediments contain detrital, seawater evaporate, and hydrothermally precipitated and scavenged phases. The presence of substantial amounts of organic matter in the PK sediments but not in the NK sediments is probably the main reason why geochemical processes in the two embayments are different. Age dates obtained from the cores by using the 14 C technique indicate that sedimentation in the PK embayment commenced at approximately 50 AD, whereas in the NK embayment it commenced at approximately 1900 AD, which is consistent with the known history of Santorini. Based on these dates, calculated metal accumulation rates in both embayments are higher than in any other dated hydrothermal metalliferous sediments with the exception of those in the Atlantis II Deep of the Red Sea. Sediment ponding in the embayments is the principal cause of these results.     

Arsenic in sediments of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Chemical extraction techniques show that the majority of the arsenic in North Atlantic deep-sea sediments is associated with an iron phase compositionally similar to that found in deep-sea ferromanganese nodules (As/Fe ～ 11 · 10^?4) and is probably of seawater origin. Some sediments also contain As associated with Fe oxides produced by continental weathering. A minority (～8%) of the arsenic is of detrital origin but is not associated with Fe or Mn oxides; it has a content (1.7 ppm) similar to the average crustal abundance. In the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, near-shore sediments contain As associated with land-derived Fe oxides (As/Fe ～ 2 · 10^?4), but As/Fe ratios increase to ～ 13 · 10^?4 in deep-sea sediments as the contribution of seawater derived arsenic becomes dominant. Arsenic is enriched in metalliferous sediments (As/Fe ～ 20?50 · 10^?4) but As/P ratios of metalliferous sediments, deep-sea ferromanganese nodules and deep-ocean water are all similar. Although a hydrothermal contribution cannot be discounted, it is likely that the arsenic is also of seawater origin, suggesting that hydrothermal iron oxyhydroxides remove As more efficiently from seawater than do iron phases (goethite) in deep-sea sediments and nodules. Arsenic accumulates in deep-sea sediments (～ 6 μg cm^?2 10^?3 yr^?1) at sediments (～ 120 μg cm^?2 10^?3 yr^?1) at rate sufficient to balance river input input (～3 · 10¹⁰ g yr^?1). These estimates give an oceanic residence time for arsenic of 1–2 · 10⁵ yr.     

南大西洋热液沉积物的不同相态提取方法与元素赋存状态

本文对采自南大西洋受不同程度热液活动影响的表层沉积物样品进行了元素和矿物组成分析,并对热液沉积物的碳酸盐相、Fe-Mn氧化物相和残渣态进行了一系列顺序提取实验。选用不同浓度的盐酸羟胺(HH)和醋酸(HAc)混合溶液对样品的Fe-Mn氧化物相进行提取,通过分析不同实验条件下Fe-Mn氧化物相Ti/Nd、Ti/Pb比值和Fe-Mn氧化物相、残渣态的稀土元素(REE)标准化配分模式及Ce和Eu异常值,确定了不同类型热液沉积物样品Fe-Mn氧化物相提取的理想试剂条件均为0.5 mol/L HH和25% HAc混合溶液。研究结果表明,受热液活动影响程度越高,沉积物中Fe、Cu、Zn等元素含量越高,Ca、Sr、Ba含量呈相反趋势,Mn、Pb和REE未受到热液活动明显影响;随着受热液活动影响增强,Ca、Sr、Nd在Fe-Mn氧化物相中所占比例增加,在残渣态中降低,Mn、Co、Ni和Zn呈相反趋势,Cu在碳酸盐相所占比例增加,在残渣态中降低,Pb赋存状态不受热液活动影响,主要赋存于Fe-Mn氧化物相;REE主要赋存于残渣态,沉积物受热液活动影响越明显,残留相对REE富集能力越强,残渣态REE球粒陨石标准化配分模式表现为LREE相对富集越来越不明显的特征。本文研究为进一步了解南大西洋热液沉积物特征和热液活动对沉积物元素赋存状态影响提供了方法和地球化学数据支持。     

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。