Mineralogy,geochemistry, and sulfur isotope characteristics of sediment-hosted hydrothermal sulfide minerals from the southern Okinawa Trough

Studies of the mineralogy and sulfur isotope composition of sediment-hosted hydrothermal sulfide minerals in cores are important for understanding the seafloor mineralization environment and material source and reconstructing the hydrothermal history. However, the source of ore-forming materials and the history of hydrothermal activity in the southern Okinawa Trough (SOT) remain unclear. Here, the mineralogy and sulfur isotope characteristics of sulfides from gravity core HOBAB4-S2, collected between the Yonaguni Knoll IV hydrothermal field (HF) and the Tangyin HF, was investigated. Enrichments in Zn (up to 321×10?6), Cu (up to 73.7×10?6), and Pb (up to 160×10?6) and the presence of pyrite, galena, pyrrhotite and minor sphalerite and chalcopyrite provide evidence for the input of hydrothermal materials into the sediments. The pyrite morphologies include disseminated cubic, pentagonal dodecahedron, and framboidal forms. Except for minor framboidal pyrite, euhedral pyrite from core HOBAB4-S2 is mainly of hydrothermal origin with Co/Ni ratios >1 and S/Fe atomic ratios <2 in the Cu-Zn-Pb-rich layers. The occurrences of hexagonal pyrrhotite, high-Co (up to 0.17%) pyrite and high-Fe sphalerite indicate that the hydrothermal precipitates formed at medium-high temperatures and low-sulfur fugacity (fS₂) environments. The δ34S values of sulfides (0.21‰–3.45‰) with low- fS₂ mineral assemblages (e.g., pyrrhotite ± high-Fe sphalerite) in the core are significantly lower than those of magmatic rocks and seawater, indicating possible incorporation of previously formed biogenic sulfur in the sediment. Combined with the age model of the core, it is suggested that hydrothermal activity likely began in the Tangyin HF before AD 1445–1483 and that at least three active episodes may have occurred since then.