Composition of geothermal minerals from saline and dilute fluids — Krafla and Reykjanes, Iceland

In high temperature geothermal areas (T.200°C) in Iceland the alteration minerals formed show a regular zoning with increasing temperature i.e. smectite, chlorite, epidote and actinolite. To test the effect of varying composition of the hydrothermal circulation fluid drillhole chips from two contrasting areas were analyzed in detail. The Reykjanes area is fed with sea water while Krafla is fed with meteoric water and has a Cl⁻ concentration of 28 ppm. Both areas have tholeiitic basalts, lavas and hyaloclastites as original reservoir rocks.

Although both systems have the same sequence of alteration minerals the actual composition of the minerals differs between systems reflecting the different chemical composition of the circulating waters. In Reykjanes, with its brine fluid, the composition of the original rock appears not to affect the composition of the alteration minerals while the reverse appears to be the case in Krafla.     

Petrology of the Western Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland

The active tholeiitic volcanic zone of the Reykjanes Peninsulaconsists of five volcanic fissure swarms, the two westernmostof which are the subject of this petrological study. The recent(less than 12,000 years) extrusives of the swarms group morphologicallyand petrographically into small picrite basalt lava shields,large olivine tholeiite lava shields and tholeiite fissure lavas;formed in that chronological succession. The picrite basalts exhibit a primitive mineralogy with chromite,olivine (Fo 89) and plagioclase (An 90) as phenocrysts and mayrepresent a primary liquid from the mantle. Simultaneous crystallizationof olivine, plagioclase and augite to form glomerocrysts inthe fissure lavas indicate low pressure cotectic crystallizationconditions. Twenty-eight new major element chemical analyses of the lavasare presented. They are generally characterized by a low contentof alkalies and high CaO. The lavas constitute two main suites,a lava shield suite and a fissure lava suite. There is a positivecorrelation between the volume of individual lavas and the contentof incompatible elements of the lavas within each group. Likewisethere is an overall chemical trend through time demonstrated,for example, by a rise in K₂O from about 0.02 per cent to 0.24per cent during the last, approximately, 12,000 years. There is an apparent chemical zoning within each volcanic swarmsuch that the most evolved and youngest lavas are found in thecentral axial area of the swarm. This central area is also characterizedby graben subsidence, high magnetic anomalies and high temperaturethermal areas, all indicative of shallow magma reservoir(s).In spite of indications of fractional crystallization in theevolution of the olivine tholeiites and tholeiites, some otherprocesses must be sought to explain the volume chemistry relations.Cyclic volcanic activity is tentatively suggested to explainthe observed regular temporal variations within the swarm, eachcycle starting with the formation of picrite basalts.     

High and low temperature alteration of uranium and thorium minerals, Um Ara granites, south Eastern Desert, Egypt

The Um Ara area, in the south Eastern Desert of Egypt contains a number of uranium occurrences related to granitic rocks. U-rich thorite, thorite and zircon are the main primary uranium- and thorium-bearing minerals found in mineralized zones of the Um Ara alkali-feldspar granites; uranophane is the most common secondary uranium mineral. U-rich thorite contains blebs of galena, has rims of uranophane and contains inclusions of Zr-rich thorite. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) provides an indication of a range of solid solution between thorite and zircon, in which intermediate phases, such as Th-rich zircon and Zr-rich thorite, were formed. These phases have higher sum of all cations per formula (2.05 to 2.06 apfu, for 4 oxygen atoms) than that of ideal thorite and zircon. This is attributed to the presence of substantial amount of interstitial cations such as Ca, U and Al in these phases. Some zircon grains are stoichiometric in composition, other altered grains display lower SiO₂ and ZrO₂ contents. Enrichment of Th and U in altered zircon preferentially involves coupled substitution (Ca²⁺ + (Th,U)⁴⁺ ↔ 2Zr⁴⁺ + 2Si⁴⁺), implying that significant U and Th may enter the Zr and Si position in zircon. Negative correlation of Zr vs. Hf and Al may indicate that Hf and Al have been introduced to the zircon during later fluid alteration rather than during the primary magmatic event. A two-stage metallogenetic model is proposed for the alteration processes and origin of U- and Th-bearing minerals in the Um Ara alkali-feldspar granite: 1) the first stage was dominated by hydrothermal alteration and accompanied by albitization, k-feldspathization, desilicification, chloritization, hematitization, silicification, argillization, fluoritization and corrosion of primary U-bearing minerals. Solid-solution between thorite and zircon occurred during this stage. The second stage occurred at the near-surface profile where circulating meteoric water played an important role in mobilizing the early formed primary U-bearing minerals. Uranium was likely transported as a calcium uranyl carbonate complexes. When these complexes lost their stabilities by precipitation of calcite, they decomposed in the presence of silica to form uranophane.     

Surface effects of triggered fault slip on Reykjanes Peninsula, SW Iceland

Three large earthquakes (M_w>4.5) were triggered within 5 min, 85 km west of a M_w 6.5 earthquake in the South Iceland Seismic Zone (SISZ). We report on surface effects of these triggered earthquakes, which include fresh rupture, widespread rockfall, disrupted rockslides and block slides. Field data confirm that the earthquakes occurred along N-striking right-lateral strike-slip faults. Field data also support the conclusion from modeling of InSAR data that deformation from the second triggered event was more significant than for the other two. A major hydrological effect was the draining of water through an open fissure on a lake bed, lowering the lake level by greater than 4 m. Field relationships suggest that a component of aseismic slip could have been facilitated by water draining into the fault zone.     

Origin and history of hydrothermal fluids of the Reykjanes and Krafla geothermal fields,Iceland

The Reykjanes and Krafla geothermal fields are both examples of active high temperature systems and show similar assemblages of alteration minerals, but the fluid at Reykjanes is dominantly sea water whereas that at Krafla is meteoric. Oxygen isotope analyses of surface rock and of drill chip samples from different depths are presented, together with results for the Krafla fluid, which is close to local precipitation (δ ¹⁸ O = ?11.9‰, δD= ?86.8‰). Calcite in both systems is apparently in equilibrium with the present deep fluid at the present field temperature, except for the upper 250 m at Reykjanes where the fluid may be more meteoric than at depth. Feldspar gives similar results. Quartz separates at Reykjanes are anomalously lighter than coexisting feldspar and give exceptionally high quartz-fluid temperatures. It is suggested that quartz originally grew when the fluid was more nearly meteoric (? glacial period) and has not re-equilibrated. Bulk-rock ¹⁸ O depletion supports this interpretation of the history of the Reykjanes system. Quartz in the Krafla system is mostly in equilibrium at the present field conditions but anomalies occur near the boundary between the upper and lower parts of the system, suggesting that this is not entirely stable. A high fluid:rock ratio (10–100 minimum) is indicated for the Krafla field.     

Isotopic constraints on ice age fluids in active geothermal systems: Reykjanes, Iceland

The Reykjanes geothermal system is located on the landward extension of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in southwest Iceland, and provides an on-land proxy to high-temperature hydrothermal systems of oceanic spreading centers. Previous studies of elemental composition and salinity have shown that Reykjanes geothermal fluids are likely hydrothermally modified seawater. However, δD values of these fluids are as low as −23‰, which is indicative of a meteoric water component. Here we constrain the origin of Reykjanes hydrothermal solutions by analysis of hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions of hydrothermal epidote from geothermal drillholes at depths between 1 and 3 km. δD_EPIDOTE values from wells RN-8, -9, -10 and -17 collectively range from −60 to −78‰, and δ¹⁸O_EPIDOTE in these wells are between −3.0 and 2.3‰. The δD values of epidote generally increase along a NE trend through the geothermal field, whereas δ¹⁸O values generally decrease, suggesting a southwest to northeast migration of the geothermal upflow zone with time that is consistent with present-day temperatures and observed hydrothermal mineral zones. For comparative analysis, the meteoric-water dominated Nesjavellir and Krafla geothermal systems, which have a δD_FLUID of ∼ −79‰ and −89‰, respectively, show δD_EPIDOTE values of −115‰ and −125‰. In contrast, δD_EPIDOTE from the mixed meteoric-seawater Svartsengi geothermal system is −68‰; comparable to δD_EPIDOTE from well RN-10 at Reykjanes.Stable isotope compositions of geothermal fluids in isotopic equilibrium with the epidotes at Reykjanes are computed using published temperature dependent hydrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation curves for epidote-water, measured isotope composition of the epidotes and temperatures approximated from the boiling point curve with depth. Calculated δD and δ¹⁸O of geothermal fluids are less than 0‰, suggesting that fluids of meteoric or glacial origin are a significant component of the geothermal solutions. Additionally, δD_FLUID values in equilibrium with geothermal epidote are lower than those of modern-day fluids, whereas calculated δ¹⁸O_FLUID values are within range of the observed fluid isotope composition. We propose that modern δD_EPIDOTE and δD_FLUID values are the result of diffusional exchange between hydrous alteration minerals that precipitated from glacially-derived fluids early in the evolution of the Reykjanes system and modern seawater-derived geothermal fluids. A simplified model of isotope exchange in the Reykjanes geothermal system, in which the average starting δD_ROCK value is −125‰ and the water to rock mass ratio is 0.25, predicts a δD_FLUID composition within 1‰ of average measured values. This model resolves the discrepancy between fluid salinity and isotope composition of Reykjanes geothermal fluids, explains the observed disequilibrium between modern fluids and hydrothermal epidote, and suggests that rock-fluid interaction is the dominant control over the evolution of fluid isotope composition in the hydrothermal system.     

The PT phase relations of a primary oceanite from the Reykjanes peninsula,Iceland

The field relationships and petrographic features of the oceanites of the Reykjanes peninsula suggest that they might have originated as primary magmas. The principal phase relationships of primary liquids formed by the partial melting of lherzolites are defined. The phase relations obtained for oceanite RE78 between 0 and 30 kbar at dry conditions suggest that the oceanite originated as a primary magma at 25 kbar and 1580°C, and erupted at a temperature near 1300°C.     

Erosional effects on terrestrial resources over the last millennium in Reykjanes, southwest Iceland

The study presents the effect of soil erosion on vegetation, soil accumulation (SA), SA rate (SAR), soil quality, soil mass, and the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in Brown Andosols and Histosols in a 24-km² area in southwest Iceland. Undisturbed prehistoric soils were distinguished from disturbed historic soils using tephrochronology. Soil erosion has been severe during historic time (last 1135 yr), resulting in the increase of the soil mass deposited in soils covered by vegetation by a factor of 7.3-9.2 and net loss of soil in unvegetated areas. The SAR correlated positively with SOC sequestration. SOC is easily transported and, given the extensive accumulation of soil, the net effect of burial and subsequent reduction in decomposition is to increase SOC storage. Nevertheless, the increased accumulation and soil depletion has decreased soil quality, including the SOC, and reduced soil resistance to erosion with the depleted SOC contributing to enrichment of atmospheric CO₂. The initial terrestrial disturbance was triggered by anthropogenic land use during the Medieval Warm Period, followed by volcanic activity approximately three centuries later. The combination of harsh climate during the Little Ice Age and drastic anthropogenic perturbations has led to land degradation at a catastrophic scale.     

Nature and Development of Basalt Magma Sources Beneath Iceland and the Reykjanes Ridge

Twelve new Sr-isotope analyses and seventeen new rare earthelement distribution patterns are reported for basalts fromIceland and the Reykjanes Ridge, together with Rb, Sr, Na₂O,K₂O, TiO₂, and P₂O₅ contents. The samples were chosen to representthe widest range of basalt types known from the Iceland-ReykjanesRidge system. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from 0.70291 ?4 to 0.70325?5 for tholeiitesand up to 0.70341 ?7 for alkali basalt. Rare earth elementsalso show a wide range of both total abundance and degree oflight-REE fractionation (chondrite-normalised Ce/Yb ratios of0.30 to 3.36 for tholeiites and up to 7.07 for alkali basalt).As found in previous studies of either Sr-isotope compositionor REE distribution, the ocean floor basalts from the southernportion of the Reykjanes Ridge have lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Ce_N/Yb_Nratios than most of the Icelandic basalts. However, some highlyMg-rich tholeiites from Theistareykir in northern Iceland andKj?lur in central Iceland also have among the lowest valuesfor these parameters and are indistinguishable in this respectfrom the ridge basalts. There is a very strong positive, linear,correlation between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Ce_N/Yb_N for all the tholeiitesincluding some up to 16 m.y. old, but this relationship doesnot hold for the alkali basalts which have proportionately farhigher Ce_N/Yb_N ratios. There is also a positive, linear, correlationbetween ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Sr content, but not between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Srand 1/Sr. These relationships are found to be incompatible with disequilibriummelting of a single mantle source region, whether by variabledegrees of partial melting with different mineral stabilityconditions, or by removal of successive incremental melts. Itis certain that the data reflect relatively gross chemical heterogeneityin the upper mantle beneath Iceland, but the correlation withSr content apparently rules out simple binary mixing models(mantle-plume hypothesis). It is proposed that the heterogeneities result from establishmentof a lithophile element gradient during a single chemical fractionationevent in the upper mantle at least 100–200 m.y. ago. Itis not possible at present to relate this geochemical gradientto known mantle structure.     

The geochemistry of brines and minerals from the Asse Salt Mine,Germany

The chemistry and stable isotopes (¹⁸O, D) of highly concentrated chloride brines and minerals from the Asse salt mine in the north of the Federal Republic of Germany were studied. Chemical data indicate the occurrence of three types of brines: (a) Mg-Cl type, of carnallitite origin with Li < 30 mg/kg; (b) Na-Cl type brines, of rock salt origin, with Li > 100 mg/kg; and (c) almost pure MgCl₂-type brines with Li > 100 mg/kg. The first group may be subdivided into brines with Li < 4.0 mg/kg and brines with Li between 18 and 30 mg/kg. Lithium is shown to be an efficient complementary tool in tracing the origin of the brines. The complex evolution of carnallitite-type brines is discussed in detail. Isotopic data of brines that were sampled directly from seepages (presumably unaltered) indicate that these brines are not a mixture with relatively fresh ground water from the overburden sediments. The stable isotope composition (¹⁸O and D) of hydration water in carnallite, kieserite and polyhalite sampled from the Asse mine were also studied. It is shown that water extracted from the so-called primary carnallite is isotopically different from water extracted from secondary carnallite. The isotopic fractionation factors for ¹⁸O and D between carnallite hydration water and mother solution were studied in the laboratory. Assuming that crystallization water of the so-called primary carnallite samples is not altered, the isotopic composition of the mother solution is evaluated.     

An experimental investigation of Iceland and Reykjanes Ridge tholeiites: I. Phase relations

Tholeiite basalts from 60° N to 65° N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge were melted and recrystallized at atmospheric pressure in a CO₂-H₂ gas mixture. Seven basalts are from the Langjokull-Thingvellir volcanic zone and the Reykjanes Peninsula of Iceland and nine are from the Reykjanes Ridge. The crystallization sequence in both Iceland and Reykjanes Ridge basalts with (Total Fe as FeO)/(Total Fe as FeO+ MgO) [F/F + M] less than 0.6 is olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene. Chromian spinel crystallizes before plagioclase in one Iceland and one Reykjanes Ridge basalt with F/F+M less than 0.57. Chemical differences of the two groups of basalts (lower SiO₂ and higher alkalis in Iceland basalts) can not simply be a result of low pressure fractional crystallization. Liquidus temperatures of the seven Iceland basalts decreases from 1,230° C to 1,170° C as the F/F+M of the rock increases from 0.52 to 0.70. The liquidus temperatures of the Reykjanes Ridge basalts are about 10° C lower than those of the Iceland basalts for the same F/F+M value. The profile of measured liquidus temperatures from 65° N on Iceland to 60° N on the Reykjanes Ridge has a minimum value at 63.2° N on the Reykjanes Ridge just south of Iceland. Model calculations of the pressure of phenocryst crystallization indicate that olivine and plagioclase in Langjokull basalts could have equilibrated between 2.0 and 6.2 kb (200 to 620 MPa). Phenocryst assemblages in Reykjanes Ridge basalts at 60° N could have crystallized together at greater than 2 kb (200 MPa) and probably less than 8 kb (800 MPa). A minimum in the equilibrium pressure of phenocryst crystallization occurs between 62.9° and 64° N and coincides with the minimum in the experimentally determined liquidus temperatures. The more extensive fractionation at low pressure in this area could be related to the shift of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge axis along the leaky transform fault from the Reykjanes Ridge to the Thingvellir volcanic zone.     

Historic magmatism on the Reykjanes Peninsula,Iceland: a snap-shot of melt generation at a ridge segment

We present new compositional data on a suite of historic lava flows from the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland. They were erupted over a short time period between c. 940 and c. 1340 ad and provide a snap-shot view of melt generation and evolution processes beneath this onshore, 65 km long, ridge segment. The lavas are tholeiitic basalts (MgO 6.5–9.2 wt%) and sparsely (≪5%) olivine and/or plagioclase phyric (±trace clinopyroxene). Individual eruptive events show remarkable compositional homogeneity. Despite a limited variation in Sr–Nd isotope compositions, high-precision double-spike Pb isotope data show tight coherent arrays that, together with correlations with incompatible trace element ratios, indicate control by binary mixing processes. Poor correlations with elemental abundances require that this mixing took place prior to extensive fractional crystallisation. Olivines in the historic lavas have light δ¹⁸O values (+4.2 to +4.3‰), which is likely to be a feature of the enriched mantle source to Reykjanes Peninsula lavas. High precision Pb isotope analyses of other post-glacial Reykjanes Peninsula lavas show significant variability in ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb at lower ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values than in the historic lavas. This variation demonstrates that at least three compositionally distinct components within the mantle are required to explain the Pb isotope variations within the Reykjanes Peninsula as a whole. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Spinel minerals in transitional and alkali basaltic glasses from Iceland

Crystallization of spinel minerals in transitional and alkali basalts from Iceland can be related to the FeO, MgO, TiO₂ and Cr contents of the coexisting melt. Chromian spinel occurs in glasses in which TiO₂ is less than 2.8 wt.% and the weight ratio FeO/MgO is less than 2.0, whereas titanomagnetite occurs when the same parameters are greater than 4 wt.% and 2.7, respectively. In addition, chromian spinel only occurs in basalts with Cr greater than 200 ppm. It is suggested that chromian spinel crystallizes, together with olivine, from liquids with olivine liquidus temperatures ranging from above 1,200° C to approximately 1,150° C. A discontinuity in spinel crystallization follows until below 1,100° C, where titanomagnetite starts to crystallize. Compositional variations in chromian spinel attached to, or included, in homogeneous olivine phenocrysts, however, cannot be related to equilibrium relations. Textural relations suggest homogeneous nucleation for titanomagnetite, whereas chromian spinel nucleates heterogeneously, dependent on growth of olivine phenocrysts. The composition of chromian spinels cannot in detail be related to physical and compositional parameters of the average melt, but may be related to local compositional relations in the melt adjacent to growing crystals. Such compositional variation around growing olivine crystals may be the prime reason for the non-equilibrium precipitation of included chromian spinels.     

CO2 emissions and heat flow through soil,fumaroles, and steam heated mud pools at the Reykjanes geothermal area,SW Iceland

Carbon dioxide emissions and heat flow through soil, steam vents and fractures, and steam heated mud pools were determined in the Reykjanes geothermal area, SW Iceland. Soil diffuse degassing of CO₂ was quantified by soil flux measurements on a 600 m by 375 m rectangular grid using a portable closed chamber soil flux meter and the resulting data were analyzed by both a graphical statistical method and sequential Gaussian simulations. The soil temperature was measured in each node of the grid and used to evaluate the heat flow. The heat flow data were also analyzed by sequential Gaussian simulations. Heat flow from steam vents and fractures was determined by quantifying the amount of steam emitted from the vents by direct measurements of steam flow rate. The heat loss from the steam heated mud pools was determined by quantifying the rate of heat loss from the pools by evaporation, convection, and radiation. The steam flow rate into the pools was calculated from the observed heat loss from the pools, assuming that steam flow was the only mechanism of heat transport into the pool. The CO₂ emissions from the steam vents and mud pools were determined by multiplying the steam flow rate from the respective sources by the representative CO₂ concentration of steam in the Reykjanes area. The observed rates of CO₂ emissions through soil, steam vents, and steam heated mud pools amounted to 13.5 ± 1.7, 0.23 ± 0.05, and 0.13 ± 0.03 tons per day, respectively. The heat flow through soil, steam vents, and mud pools was 16.9 ± 1.4, 2.2 ± 0.4, and 1.2  ± 0.1 MW, respectively. Heat loss from the geothermal reservoir, inferred from the CO₂ emissions through the soil amounts to 130 ± 16 MW of thermal energy. The discrepancy between the observed heat loss and the heat loss inferred from the CO₂ emissions is attributed to steam condensation in the subsurface due to interactions with cold ground water. These results demonstrate that soil diffuse degassing can be a more reliable proxy for heat loss from geothermal systems than soil temperatures. The soil diffuse degassing at Reykjanes appears to be strongly controlled by the local tectonics. The observed diffuse degassing defines 3–5 elongated N–S trending zones (000–020°). The orientation of the diffuse degassing structures at Reykjanes is consistent with reported trends of right lateral strike slip faults in the area. The natural CO₂ emissions from Reykjanes under the current low-production conditions are about 16% of the expected emissions from a 100 MWe power plant, which has recently been commissioned at Reykjanes.     

Experimental hearths and the thermal alteration of Caliche on the Southern High Plains

Throughout the Holocene, caliche has been a ubiquitous technological resource for the people of the Southern High Plains. Archaeological sites on the Southern High Plains often contain thermal features that appear to utilize caliche nodules in various cultural processes. These processes usually involve some degree of thermal dynamic alteration to the caliche, identified in the archaeological record as fire‐scorched or blackened nodules. Previous studies of the pyrodynamic properties of caliche have focused on quantification of color and fracture patterns within a laboratory setting, without direct involvement of cultural processes or problems associated with thermal features. Thermal alteration variables of caliche are examined from an actualistic perspective, utilizing previously excavated basin feature geometry and local caliche outcrops. Results indicate that sustained, intense heating of caliche (above 204°C) causes significant, but variable, structural transformations at the specimen level. The experimental use of shallow basin hearths demonstrates that hearth structures were easily capable of achieving and sustaining temperatures that would result in the physical alteration of individual caliche nodules, defined here as hearthstones. The broader implications of this study suggest that the interpretation of archaeological hearthstone assemblages should reflect variability, as observed during this experiment. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

High temperature alteration of Abyssal ultramafics from the Islas Orcadas Fracture Zone,South Atlantic

Ultramafic rocks dredged from the Islas Orcadas Fracture Zone, along the SW Indian Ocean Ridge (6° E and 54° S), show evidence of progressive hydration beginning at temperatures greater than 600° C (and perhaps as high as 900° C) and continuing to less than 50° C. There are two principal types of alteration present in the ultramafic rocks, both of which are the result of hydration reactions. The first type of alteration involves hydration of original clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and olivine to amphibole, talc, secondary olivine, and serpentine. The second is a vein type of alteration and results in the formation of veins of amphibole, chlorite, talc and serpentine. — The alteration appears to be episodic. The sequence of events suggested by the petrography is: 1) clinopyroxene altering to amphibole; 2) orthopyroxene altering to talc, or talc + olivine; 3) supersolvus hornblende veining; 4) coexisting actinolite + hornblende veining; 5) chlorite, chlorite + actinolite, or chlorite + secondary clinopyroxene veining; 6) talc veining; 7) serpentine veining; and 8) pervasive serpentinization. — The alteration fluid is most likely seawater. It is suggested that the high temperature alterations may reflect seawater circulation into the upper mantle.     

From surface fault traces to a fault growth model: The Vogar Fissure Swarm of the Reykjanes Peninsula,Southwest Iceland

The Vogar Fissure Swarm is one of four en-echelon fracture swarms that connect the Reykjanes Ridge to the South Iceland Seismic Zone and the Western Volcanic Zone. Occurring in an area of flat topography, this fissure swarm is clearly visible at the surface, where it can be seen to affect recent postglacial lavas. Using remote sensing methods to identify and measure all the faults and fractures in the swarm, combined with additional field observations and measurements, we measured 478 individual fractures, 33% of them being faults and 67% being fissures. The fracture lengths show roughly log-normal distributions. Most of the individual fractures belong to 68 main composite fractures, seven of which are longer than 2500 m and correspond to the main fault scarps of the fissure swarm. We showed that these main faults are distributed along five, equally spaced zones, ∼500 m apart and a few kilometers long. We drawn 71 across-strike profiles to characterize the shape of the fault scarps, and 5 along-strike profiles to characterize the evolution of vertical throw along the main faults. Each fault consists of a coalescence of individual segments of approximately equal length. Fault throws are never larger than 10 m and are smallest at the junctions between individual segments. Analyses of along-strike throw profiles allowed us to determine the early stages of growth after coalescence. The earliest stage is characterized by an increase in the throw of the central parts of segments. This is followed by a second stage during which the throw increases at the junctions between segments, progressively erasing these small-throw zones.     

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.     

The role of minerals in the thermal alteration of organic matter--III. Generation of bitumen in laboratory experiments

A series of pyrolysis experiments, utilizing two different immature kerogens (from the Monterey and Green River Formations) mixed with common sedimentary minerals (calcite, illite, or Na-montmorillonite), was conducted to study the impact of the mineral matrix on the bitumen that was generated. Calcite has no significant influence on the thermal evolution of bitumen and also shows virtually no adsorption capacity for any of the pyrolysate. In contrast, montmorillonite and illite, to a lesser extent, alter bitumen during dry pyrolysis. Montmorillonite and illite also display strong adsorption capacities for the polar constituents of bitumen. By this process, hydrocarbons are substantially concentrated within the pyrolysate that is not strongly adsorbed on the clay matrices. The effects of the clay minerals are significantly reduced during hydrous pyrolysis. The strong adsorption capacities of montmorillonite and illite, as well as their thermocatalytic properties, may in part explain why light oils and gases are generated from certain argillaceous source-rock assemblages, whereas heavy immature oils are often derived from carbonate source rocks.     

Role of minerals in the thermal alteration of organic matter—I: Generation of gases and condensates under dry condition

Pyrolysis experiments were carried out on Monterey formation kerogen and bitumen and Green River formation kerogen (Type II and I, respectively), in the presence and absence of montmorillonite, illite and calcite at 200 and 300°C for 2–2000 hours. The pyrolysis products were identified and quantified and the results of the measurements on the gas and condensate range are reported here.A significant catalytic effect was observed for the pyrolysis of kerogen with montmorillonite, whereas small or no effects were observed with illite and calcite, respectively. Catalytic activity was evident by the production of up to five times higher C₁–C₆ hydrocarbons for kerogen with montmorillonite than for kerogen alone, and by the dominance of branched hydrocarbons in the C₄–C₆ range (up to 90% of the total amount at any single carbon number). This latter effect in the presence of montmorillonite is attributed to cracking via a carbonium-ion [carbocation] intermediate which forms on the acidic sites of the clay. No catalytic effect, however, was observed for generation of methane and C₂ hydrocarbons which form by thermal cracking. The catalysis of montmorillonite was significantly greater during pyrolysis of bitumen than for kerogen, which may point to the importance of the early formed bitumen as an intermediate in the production of low molecular weight hydrocarbons. Catalysis by minerals was also observed for the production of carbon dioxide.These results stress the importance of the mineral matrix in determining the type and amount of gases and condensates forming from the associated organic matter under thermal stress. The literature contains examples of gas distributions in the geologic column which can be accounted for by selective mineral catalysis, mainly during early stages of organic matter maturation.