Thermal modelling of the Larderello geothermal field (Tuscany,Italy)

We present a 3-D thermal model of the Larderello geothermal field (Tuscany) to evaluate (1) the extent and contribution of the heat transfer mechanisms (conduction vs. convection) at the intermediate-upper crust levels, (2) the variability of the heat and mass fluxes entering from below and (3) the crucial role of the formation permeability. The model, composed by three main layers, considers the upper 10 km of the crust to better constrain the simulations with experimental data from borehole, fluid inclusion studies and hypocentral distributions. Several sets of simulations were carried out with different bottom boundary temperatures and different formation permeabilities for the two deeper layers. The results indicate that the present temperature (T) and pressure distributions in the Larderello field require deep reservoir rocks with higher permeability than the overlying capping units and underlying intermediate crust. Permeability values of 1 mDarcy for the reservoir rocks are enough to allow fluid convection, if the temperature at 10 km depth is as high as 500 ± 50°C. The presence of localized zones with formation permeability 50–100 times higher than the surrounding rocks strongly favours the migration of over-pressurized fluids, which episodically break through the overburden, feeding the presently exploited geothermal fields.     

Chemistry of thermal springs in the Larderello-Travale geothermal region, southern Tuscany, Italy

Thirty-two thermal spring, eleven cold spring and six steam condensates in the Larderello-Travale geothermal region have been studied from a geochemical point of view. The aim of this work was to delineate the relation between the chemical composition of the natural thermal manifestations and the thermal anomaly, which is among the best known in the world.The Larderello spring, both hot and cold, are characterized by low salinity (total dissolved solids generally lower than 1000 mg/kg), and alkaline-earth bicarbonate composition. In contrast, an alkaline-earth sulfate composition characterizes the thermal springs of the Travale area. This difference is due to the fact that the underground pathways of the Larderello hot springs are only in shallow flyschoid caprock formations, whereas at Travale the paths are longer and in carbonate-anhydritic Mesozoic rocks, which constitute the main reservoir formations in both the Larderello and Travale areas.The thermal character of Larderello springs is, therefore, mainly due to rock conduction, whereas in Travale it is mostly due to inflows of hot fluid phases from the geothermal reservoir. Comparison between ammonia, Li and B in fluid phases (both steam condensates and hot springs) in the Larderello area suggests that in some of them, their temperatures might be partly due to direct vapor inflows.     

Stable isotope study of reinjection processes in the Larderello geothermal field

The effects of reinjected waters on the physico-chemical characteristics of the fluids of the Larderello vapor-dominated geothermal field were monitored using deuterium and oxygen-18 as “natural” tracers. During and after reinjection, strong short-term variations of the isotopic composition of the steam were observed near the reinjection area. These variations were due mainly to mixing between the reinjected and ‘deep’ components. Large isotopic fractionations occur at depth during the evaporation of the reinjected water, and may affect the evaluation of the “recovered” fluid using a simple mixing model. Stable isotope and gas/steam ratios are closely correlated in the fluid collected in the monitored wells, in agreement with the hypothesis that an effective mixing process occurs at depth, accompanied by the formation of a liquid plume subjected to different degrees of evaporation. The non-linear correlation between isotope and gas/ steam ratios has been interpreted with a model where the deep areal chemical differences in the original fluids are modified by reinjection.     

Multiple hydro‐fracturing by boron‐rich fluids in the Late Miocene contact aureole of eastern Elba Island (Tuscany,Italy)

In eastern Elba Island (Tuscany, Italy), a shallow crustal level felsic, tourmaline‐bearing, dyke‐sill swarm of Late Miocene age is associated with abundant tourmaline‐quartz hydrothermal veins and metasomatic masses. Development of these veins and masses in the host rocks demonstrates multiple hydro‐fracturing by magmatic, boron‐rich saline fluid. Tourmalines in felsic dykes are schorl, whereas in veins and metasomatic masses, tourmaline composition ranges from schorl‐dravite through dravite to uvite. This compositional shift is evidence for an increasing contribution to the magmatic boron‐rich fluids by a Mg‐Ca‐Ti‐rich external component represented by biotite‐rich and amphibolite host rocks. This system can be envisaged as an exposed proxy of the high temperature hydrothermal system presently active in the deepest part of the Larderello‐Travale geothermal field (Tuscany).     

Metamorphic consequences of Neogene thermal anomaly in the northern Apennines (Radicondoli-Travale area,Larderello geothermal field – Italy)

In the Radicondoli–Travale area of the Larderello geothermal field (Italy) new structural and petrologic data on some metamorphic units, cored from geothermal wells, reveal the existence of a wide complex of hornfels rocks. The development of the complex is related to the emplacement of Neogene magmatic rocks at a shallow depth within a Permo–Triassic terrigenous metasedimentary sequence of a low metamorphic grade. The sequence was subjected to alpine tectonic-metamorphic events. This reconstruction gives new insights in the tectonic setting of metamorphic units below the Tuscan Nappe, in southern Tuscany. Particularly, the medium and high grade metamorphic rocks seem strictly related to the development of Neogene thermal aureoles and do not represent remnants of a Paleozoic basement. Furthermore, in this sector of the Larderello geothermal system, the presence of deep geothermal reservoir at a depth of 3 000 m is mainly linked to the enhanced permeability caused by fracturing in these hornfels rocks. This fracturing is a consequence of the dehydration reaction occurring in the metapelites due to Neogene thermal metamorphism. This mechanism allowed the development of a long-lived hydrothermal system, shown by the secondary mineralogical assemblages. These testify the presence of at least two hydrothermal stages which are well preserved in the less permeable units.     

Metamorphic consequences of Neogene thermal anomaly in the northern Apennines (Radicondoli-Travale area,Larderello geothermal field – Italy)

Abstract

In the Radicondoli–Travale area of the Larderello geothermal field (Italy) new structural and petrologic data on some metamorphic units, cored from geothermal wells, reveal the existence of a wide complex of hornfels rocks. The development of the complex is related to the emplacement of Neogene magmatic rocks at a shallow depth within a Permo–Triassic terrigenous metasedimentary sequence of a low metamorphic grade. The sequence was subjected to alpine tectonic-metamorphic events. This reconstruction gives new insights in the tectonic setting of metamorphic units below the Tuscan Nappe, in southern Tuscany. Particularly, the medium and high grade metamorphic rocks seem strictly related to the development of Neogene thermal aureoles and do not represent remnants of a Paleozoic basement. Furthermore, in this sector of the Larderello geothermal system, the presence of deep geothermal reservoir at a depth of 3 000 m is mainly linked to the enhanced permeability caused by fracturing in these hornfels rocks. This fracturing is a consequence of the dehydration reaction occurring in the metapelites due to Neogene thermal metamorphism. This mechanism allowed the development of a long-lived hydrothermal system, shown by the secondary mineralogical assemblages. These testify the presence of at least two hydrothermal stages which are well preserved in the less permeable units. © 2000 Editions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS     

Fluid record of rock exhumation across the brittle–ductile transition during formation of a Metamorphic Core Complex (Naxos Island,Cyclades, Greece)

Fluid inclusions trapped in quartz veins hosted by a leucogneiss from the southern part of the Naxos Metamorphic Core Complex (Attic‐Cycladic‐Massif, Greece) were studied to determine the evolution of the fluid record of metamorphic rocks during their exhumation across the ductile/brittle transition. Three sets of quartz veins (V‐M2, V‐BD & V‐B) are distinguished. The V‐M2 and V‐BD are totally or, respectively, partially transposed into the foliation of the leucogneiss. They formed by hydrofracturing alternating with ductile deformation accommodated by crystal‐plastic deformation. The V‐B is discordant to the foliation and formed by fracturing during exhumation without subsequent ductile transposition. Fluids trapped during crystal–plastic deformation comprise two very distinct fluid types, namely a CO₂‐rich fluid and a high‐salinity brine, that are interpreted to represent immiscible fluids generated from metamorphic reactions and the crystallization of magmas respectively. They were initially trapped at ～625 °C and 400 MPa and then remobilized during subsequent ductile deformation resulting in various degrees of mixing of the two end‐members with later trapping conditions of ～350 °C and 140 MPa. In contrast, brittle microcracks contain aqueous fluids trapped at 250 °C and 80 MPa. All veins display a similar δ¹³C pointing to carbon that was trapped at depth and then preserved in the fluid inclusions throughout the exhumation history. In contrast, the δD signature is marked by a drastic difference between (i) V‐M2 and V‐BD veins that are dominated by carbonic, aqueous‐carbonic and high‐salinity fluids of metamorphic and magmatic origin characterized by δD between ?56‰ and ?66‰, and (ii) V‐B veins that are dominated by aqueous fluids of meteoric origin characterized by δD between ?40‰ and ?46‰. The retrograde P–T pathway implies that the brittle/ductile transition separates two structurally, chemically and thermally distinct fluid reservoirs, namely (i) the ductile crust into which fluids originating from crystallizing magmas and fluids in equilibrium with metamorphic rocks circulate through a geothermal gradient of 30 °C km^?1 at lithostatic pressure, and (ii) the brittle upper crust through which meteoric fluids percolate through a high geothermal gradient of 55 °C km^?1 at hydrostatic pressure.     

Fluid inclusion study constraining the hydrothermal evolution of caldera-forming volcanic systems in the Sengan Area, Northern Honshu, Japan

Summary The hydrothermal evolution of the Sengan geothermal area, Northern Honshu, was studied using fluid inclusion microthermometry. Sengan is one of the most active geothermal areas in Japan, and it is dominated by andesitic to dacitic volcanic rocks of Pliocene and Quaternary age. Fluid inclusions were studied in hydrothermal minerals (quartz, calcite, anhydrite, wairakite) and in fractured igneous quartz phenocrysts from core samples retrieved from five geothermal exploration wells, which penetrated Quaternary and Tertiary formations, and intrusive rocks in or around the calderas. A caldera-hosted hydrothermal system was heated by a shallow intrusion, which produced hypersaline fluids. During the early stages some heterogeneity in fluid composition occurred, but during peak activity of the hydrothermal system, the fluid was dominantly low-salinity, and most likely of meteoric origin. We have reconstructed, by means of fluid inclusion studies, the structure of an extinct hydrothermal system in a Pliocene caldera filled with ignimbrites, and of an active hydrothermal system which is now being heated under the northern slope of Yakeyama volcano. Based on inclusion data, the aqueous fluids that circulated in the hydrothermal system ranged from very low saline (0–7 wt.% NaCl equiv.) to hypersaline (up to 60 wt.% NaCl equiv.), with temperatures ranging from 130 to 400 °C.     

Extensional shear zones as imaged by reflection seismic lines: the Larderello geothermal field (central Italy)

The Larderello geothermal field is located in the Inner Northern Apennines, in an area which has been subject to extension since the Early Miocene. The latest extensional episode (Pliocene–Present) has resulted in the formation of NW-trending, NE-dipping listric normal faults, whose geometry is controlled down to 3 km by borehole data. In this paper, we integrate a new interpretation of seismic reflection lines with existing seismic, field, and borehole data to analyse the relations among listric normal faults, the top of the brittle–ductile transition, and the migration of geothermal fluids.In accordance with previous interpretations, we consider the strong reflector (K-horizon) marking the top of the reflective mid-lower crust, and located at a depth of 3–5 km in the geothermal area, to represent the top of the brittle–ductile transition. Its reflectivity most probably derives from the presence of overpressured fluids. We identify three main NW-trending, NE-dipping extensional brittle shear zones, showing listric geometry and soling out in the vicinity of the K-horizon. The latter appears to be dislocated in correspondence of the soling out of the shear zones. These shear zones, because of the associated intense fracturing, represent the most natural channels of upward migration of geothermal fluids from the magmatic sources located below the K-horizon.We suggest that these two conclusions—that listric normal faults root at or near the brittle–ductile transition, and that they act as preferential upward migration paths for magmatic fluids—may be of general validity for geothermal fields located in extensional settings.     

O,H, and Sr isotope evidences of mixing processes in two geothermal fluid reservoirs at Yangbajing,Tibet, China

The Yangbajing geothermal field with the highest reservoir temperature among Chinese hydrothermal systems is located about 90 km northwest to Lhasa City, capital of Tibet, where high temperature geothermal fluids occur in two reservoirs: a shallow one at a depth of 180–280 m and a deep one at 950–1,850 m. In this study, Oxygen-18 and deuterium isotope compositions as well as ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of water samples collected from geothermal wells, cold springs and surface water bodies were characterized to understand the genesis of geothermal fluids at Yangbajing. The results show that the deep geothermal fluid is the mixing product of both magmatic and infiltrating snow-melt water, whereas the shallow geothermal fluid is formed by the mixing of deep geothermal fluid with cold groundwater. Using a binary mixing model with deep geothermal fluid and cold groundwater as two endmembers, the mixing ratios of the latter in most shallow geothermal water samples were calculated to be between 40 and 50%. The combined use of O, H, and Sr isotopes proves to be an effective approach to depict the major sources of geothermal fluids and the mixing processes occurring in two reservoirs at Yangbajing.     

Helium-3 anomalies and crust-mantle interaction in Italy

The distribution of primordial ³He in the crust of Italy has been investigated through a survey of groundwaters, hot-springs, exploration and production geothermal wells. The mantle-derived component varies from 0% to > 60% and reaches a maximum at Vulcano in the Eolian Islands. ³He anomalies occur where the conductive heat flow is relatively high, but the relationships between heat flow and anomaly are uncertain.The distribution of ³He in the main reservoir and cap rock to the Larderello geothermal system shows that the mantle-derived ³He varies from ~5% to ~40% of total He and reaches a maximum in fluids extracted from a depth of ca. 3 km within the basement. Bomb-produced tritiogenic ³He appears to make a near-negligible contribution. Well 107 at Larderello has been monitored over a period of 17 months and the ${}^3\text{He}{}^4\text{He}$ ratio (R) varies from 1.4 to 1.6 times the atmospheric ratio (Ra) whilst He/Ne varies from 9 to 160. A model is proposed for the Larderello geothermal system whereby mantle-derived heat and volatiles are advected to shallow (6–8 km) depths in association with melts and released into the main geothermal reservoir at Larderello in a non-uniform manner possibly associated with fracturing. Isotopic and elemental equilibrium of gaseous species (C, O, H) appears to have taken place in the basement to the main reservoir from where fluid with R/Ra ≥ 3.2 has been extracted.     

Structure and late cenozoic evolution of the upper lithosphere in Southwest Tuscany (Italy)

Geological and geophysical data on southwest Tuscany are reviewed in order to define the structure and evolution of the upper lithosphere from the Miocene to the Quaternary. Petrologic studies reveal the existence, below all of Tuscany, of Hercynian and older polyphased metamorphic rocks and of Hercynian granite, whose top is an important seismic reflecting horizon. The basement is characterized by NE-SW trending structures, in contrast with the main NW-SE “Alpine” structures of the uppermost levels. The heat flow map shows two broad areas with values higher than 80 mW/m², reaching maximum values of 10.5 and 15 H.F.U. in the geothermal areas, which are also characterized by negative Bouguer anomalies. A Landsat study revealed a NE-SW band of subcircular structures passing through Larderello and coinciding with a regional fault system and a steep rise in the Moho. Petrologic, geochemical and radiometric data on the Tuscan igneous rocks show that partial melting took place in the Tuscan crust at different levels and to varying degrees from the Miocene to Quaternary, producing a continuous “Alpine” granitic layer. The known Tuscan intrusive bodies and two batholiths below the Larderello and Mt. Amiata geothermal fields represent culminations of the “Alpine” granite. The rise of the Tuscan magmas was closely correlated to a post-Tortonian tensional tectonics and followed its N-E migration. Tensional tectonics started after the last compressional phase (10–11 Ma B.P.) as a consequence of the anticlockwise rotation of Italy, the opening of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the swelling of the mantle below southwest Tuscany.     

Magnetic susceptibility of volcanic rocks in geothermal areas: application potential in geothermal exploration studies for identification of rocks and zones of hydrothermal alteration

Magnetic susceptibility and petrographic studies of drilled rock cuttings from two geothermal wells (Az-26 and Az-49) of the important electricity-generating geothermal system, Los Azufres, Mexico, were carried out to determine the relation between the magnetic susceptibility of rocks, the concentration of magnetic minerals and hydrothermal alteration. For this purpose, low-frequency magnetic susceptibility (χ _lf) was measured and compared its distribution trends with those of magnetic and Fe–Mg silicate minerals, and with the extent of hydrothermal alteration in rocks of the two geothermal wells. The study indicates a decrease in χ _lf values with depth in the two geothermal wells corresponding with: (1) an increase in the reservoir temperature and hydrothermal alteration; and (2) a decrease in the concentrations of Fe–Mg silicates and opaque minerals. The data suggest that ferromagnesian minerals and opaque minerals like ilmenite are the main contributors to the χ _lf of rocks. The decrease in χ _lf, ilmenite, and Fe–Mg mineral contents with an increase in the hydrothermal alteration degree, pyrite and haematite contents suggests the hydrothermal alteration of ilmenite and Fe–Mg minerals (characteristic of high χ _lf values) to pyrite, haematite and other opaque minerals (with low χ _lf values). The interaction of hydrothermal fluids with rocks results in the hydrothermal alteration of primary minerals. In a geothermal area, an anomaly of low magnetic susceptibility values of rocks in a homogenous litho unit characterized by high magnetic susceptibility may suggest hydrothermal alteration. Magnetic susceptibility can be a useful parameter, during the initial stages of geothermal exploration, in identifying hydrothermally altered rocks and zones of hydrothermal alteration both at the surface and from drilled wells in geothermal systems.     

The evolution of the Cappadocia Geothermal Province,Anatolia (Turkey): geochemical and geochronological evidence

Cappadocia Geothermal Province (CGP), central Turkey, consists of nine individual geothermal regions controlled by active regional fault systems. This paper examines the age dating of alteration minerals and the geochemistry (trace elements and isotopes) of the alteration minerals and geothermal waters, to assess the evolution of CGP in relation to regional tectonics. Ar–Ar age data of jarosite and alunite show that the host rocks were exposed to oxidizing conditions near the Earth’s surface at about 5.30 Ma. Based on the δ¹⁸O–δD relationhip, water samples had a high altitude meteoric origin. The δ³⁴S values of jarosite and alunite indicate that water samples from the southern part of the study area reached the surface after circulation through volcanic rocks, while northern samples had traveled to the surface after interacting with evaporates at greater depths. REY (rare earth elements and yttrium) diagrams of alteration minerals (especially illite, jarosite and alunite) from rock samples, taken from the same locations as the water samples, display a similar REY pattern to water samples. This suggests that thermal fluids, which reached the surface along a fault zone and caused the mineral alteration in the past, had similar chemical composition to the current geothermal water. The geothermal conceptual model, which defines a volcanically heated reservoir and cap rocks, suggests there are no structural drawbacks to the use of the CGP geothermal system as a resource. However, fluid is insufficient to drive the geothermal system as a result of scanty supply of meteoric water due to evaporation significantly exceeding rainfall.     

Raman confirmation of microdiamond in the Svartberget Fe‐Ti type garnet peridotite,Western Gneiss Region,Western Norway

Ultra‐high pressure metamorphic rocks have been found worldwide. The volume and areal extent of an exhumed UHPM domain are important for understanding the geodynamic mechanisms responsible for the high pressure and relatively medium temperature conditions needed for their creation. We report here Raman microspectroscopical data that prove the existence of microdiamonds at the Svartberget Fe‐Ti type peridotite locality in the Western Gneiss Region of Norway. Raman microscopy of two carbon microinclusions belonging to polyphase inclusion assemblages included in garnets from a garnet‐phlogopite websterite vein yielded a sharp, narrow, intense peak at 1332 cm^?1, characteristic of diamond. The diamond is associated with polyphase solid inclusions possibly originating from supercritical, dense, H‐C‐N‐O‐F‐P‐S‐Cl fluids. Lithological, textural and geochronological evidence points towards a Caledonian origin of the trapped fluid and subsequent diamond formation.     

Application of radium isotopes to determine crustal residence times of hydrothermal fluids from two sites on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland

Radium isotopes were used to determine the crustal residence times of hydrothermal fluids from two geothermal wells (Svartsengi and Reykjanes) from the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland. The availability of rock samples from the subsurface (to depths of 2400 m) allowed direct comparison of the radium isotopic characteristics of the fluids with those of the rocks within the high temperature and pressure reaction zone. The ²²⁶Ra activity of the Svartsengi fluid was ∼one-fourth of the Reykjanes fluid and the ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio of the Svartsengi fluid was ∼twice that of Reykjanes. The fluid isotopic characteristics were relatively stable for both sites over the 6 years (2000-2006) of the study. It was determined, using a model that predicts the evolution of the fluid ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio with time, that both sites had fluid residence times, from the onset of high temperature water-rock reaction, of less than 5 years. Measurement of the short-lived ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra allowed estimation of the recoil input parameter used in the model. The derived timescale is consistent with results from similar studies of fluids from submarine systems, and has implications for the use of terrestrial systems in Iceland as an exploited energy resource.     

Mixing of geothermal and non-geothermal fluids in shallow aquifers in the Germencik-Nazilli area,Büyük Menderes Basin (SW Turkey)

This study observes groundwater hydrochemical characteristics during mixing between geothermal and non-geothermal fluids in Germencik–Nazilli area in the Büyük Menderes Basin (SW Turkey). Hydrogeochemical features of 32 non-geothermal, geothermal and surface samples were studied. The mean temperatures of the geothermal reservoirs are calculated to be 150–240 °C in Germencik field, based on Na-K-Mg geothermometry. Hydrochemical characteristics of Germencik geothermal fluid differ from non-geothermal fluids, mainly Na-Cl-HCO₃-type geothermal fluid, while non-geothermal fluid is mostly Ca-Mg-HCO₃-SO₄ type. High contents of some minor elements in geothermal fluids are most likely sourced from prolonged water-rock interaction, reflecting the signals of flow paths and residence times. A mass-balance approach was used to calculate mixing ratios between geothermal and non-geothermal fluids based on B, Cl and Na concentrations. Germencik field is considerably characterised by rising geothermal fluids and overlying non-geothermal fluids. The amount of water stored in the Quaternary aquifer evolved from a deep thermal source is low in Germencik (.5–40% geothermal fluid in non-geothermal wells). Mixing between geothermal and non-geothermal fluids has been caused by groundwater utilisation practices and is increased close to active faults. Irrigation of the shallow groundwater composition is considered as influx of low-temperature geothermal fluid.     

地球化学温标估算长白山地热系统热储温度

长白山地区地热系统的研究目前还处于初级阶段,热储温度仍然是具有争议的问题。为进一步明确其高温地热成因机理,本文对该区域的4个温泉点与2口地热井进行了离子及气体组分测定与分析,并应用地球化学温标估算了热储温度。Na-K-Mg三角图和部分矿物I_S值指示长白山地区地热水与围岩未达到水岩平衡状态,稀释作用明显,仅石英、玉髓和部分含Ca²⁺矿物达到饱和并发生沉淀。根据本文及前人的研究,研究区同时存在高温喷气孔、高_ρ(Cl^-)水和高_ρ(SO_4^2-)水,这符合White汽-液分离模式提出的地热地表显示组合,因此推断长白山地区下部流体发生汽-液分离作用(沸腾)且地热系统为双相地热系统。由于双相地热系统的存在制约了水化学温标与部分气化学温标在研究区热储温度估算中的应用,因此本文结合研究区气组分特征,选取CO_2/H_2温标作为可靠温标,估算出热储温度在234.5～284.7℃之间。将长白山天池地区地质特征与地热流体特征结合,建立了长白山地区地热成因模式。     

Fluid generation and evolution during exhumation of deeply subducted UHP continental crust: Petrogenesis of composite granite–quartz veins in the Sulu belt,China

Composite granite–quartz veins occur in retrogressed ultrahigh pressure (UHP) eclogite enclosed in gneiss at General's Hill in the central Sulu belt, eastern China. The granite in the veins has a high‐pressure (HP) mineral assemblage of dominantly quartz+phengite+allanite/epidote+garnet that yields pressures of 2.5–2.1 GPa (Si‐in‐phengite barometry) and temperatures of 850–780°C (Ti‐in‐zircon thermometry) at 2.5 GPa (~20°C lower at 2.1 GPa). Zircon overgrowths on inherited cores and new grains of zircon from both components of the composite veins crystallized at c. 221 Ma. This age overlaps the timing of HP retrograde recrystallization dated at 225–215 Ma from multiple localities in the Sulu belt, consistent with the HP conditions retrieved from the granite. The ε_Hf(t) values of new zircon from both components of the composite veins and the Sr–Nd isotope compositions of the granite consistently lie between values for gneiss and eclogite, whereas δ¹⁸O values of new zircon are similar in the veins and the crustal rocks. These data are consistent with zircon growth from a blended fluid generated internally within the gneiss and the eclogite, without any ingress of fluid from an external source. However, at the peak metamorphic pressure, which could have reached 7 GPa, the rocks were likely fluid absent. During initial exhumation under UHP conditions, exsolution of H₂O from nominally anhydrous minerals generated a grain boundary supercritical fluid in both gneiss and eclogite. As exhumation progressed, the volume of fluid increased allowing it to migrate by diffusing porous flow from grain boundaries into channels and drain from the dominant gneiss through the subordinate eclogite. This produced a blended fluid intermediate in its isotope composition between the two end‐members, as recorded by the composite veins. During exhumation from UHP (coesite) eclogite to HP (quartz) eclogite facies conditions, the supercritical fluid evolved by dissolution of the silicate mineral matrix, becoming increasingly solute‐rich, more ‘granitic’ and more viscous until it became trapped. As crystallization began by diffusive loss of H₂O to the host eclogite concomitant with ongoing exhumation of the crust, the trapped supercritical fluid intersected the solvus for the granite–H₂O system, allowing phase separation and formation of the composite granite–quartz veins. Subsequently, during the transition from HP eclogite to amphibolite facies conditions, minor phengite breakdown melting is recorded in both the granite and the gneiss by K‐feldspar+plagioclase+biotite aggregates located around phengite and by K‐feldspar veinlets along grain boundaries. Phase equilibria modelling of the granite indicates that this late‐stage melting records P–T conditions towards the end of the exhumation, with the subsolidus assemblage yielding 0.7–1.1 GPa at <670°C. Thus, the composite granite–quartz veins represent a rare example of a natural system recording how the fluid phase evolved during exhumation of continental crust. The successive availability of different fluid phases attending retrograde metamorphism from UHP eclogite to amphibolite facies conditions will affect the transport of trace elements through the continental crust and the role of these fluids as metasomatic agents interacting with the mantle wedge in the subduction channel.     

The relationship between the McLaughlin gold–mercury deposit and active hydrothermal systems in the Geysers–Clear Lake area, northern Coast Ranges, California

The Geysers–Clear Lake area has a long history of research on its active hydrothermal systems. It is a unique area containing a number of hydrothermal systems which include: the Geysers steam field, one of the largest vapor-dominated geothermal systems yet recognized; the McLaughlin gold deposit, an extremely well preserved hot-spring style gold deposit; and the Sulphur Bank mercury deposit, one of the first locations where geothermal systems were recognized as modern analogues to epithermal deposits. There is also a variety of active hot- and mineral-springs, including Wilbur Springs, or the Sulphur Creek district, which has been considered one of the type localities for connate fluids.The McLaughlin gold–mercury deposit is a fossil hot-spring system dominated by meteoric waters that exchanged with sedimentary rocks of the Great Valley sequence. Mineralization was syntectonic, occurring contemporaneously with fault movement. The fluids circulated in syntectonic dilation zones that resulted in, and maintained, high permeability of the fluid conduits permitting large volumes of fluid flow. The fluids precipitated metals in response to physical and chemical changes associated with boiling. The hydrothermal fluids that formed the McLaughlin deposit have the highest reservoir temperature, salinity and are isotopically the most enriched, of the Coast Range hydrothermal systems. The McLaughlin deposit is considered an end-member “fluid-dominated” hydrothermal system.The Geysers steam field, in its earliest phase was likely similar to the McLaughlin deposit being fluid-dominated and forming, at least on a small scale, a vein system enriched in silver and anomalous in gold, base metals, antimony and mercury. The hydrothermal system evolved into a vapor-dominated system as a result of decreased permeability of the reservoir, decreased recharge and/or increased heat flow. The modern day reservoir is encapsulated in impermeable rocks and is a “vapor-dominated” end-member hydrothermal system.Active hot- and mineral-springs in the Coast Ranges of northern California are intermediate between the fluid- and vapor-dominated end-member systems. The chemical and isotopic compositions of these fluids are the result of thermal processes and are not explained by simple mixing models between connate fluids and meteoric groundwater. Their isotopic and chemical composition is best explained by meteoric-dominated systems with repeated non-equilibrium subsurface vapor loss (evaporation) in a near closed system, with the relative deuterium and ¹⁸O enrichment proportional to the reservoir temperature.