Isotopic composition of sulfur in modern metalliferous hydrotherms in Cheleken

Iron and zinc sulfides, deposited by petroleum brines, are believed to have been derived from terrigenic sedimentary rocks, judging by the isotopic composition of their sulfur, and not from any deposits of these metals in the depths. This view is supported by isotopic analysis of sulfur in brines inside and outside the oil field and in waters of mud volcanoes. Isotopic composition of native (and apparently young) lead, deposited in two of the wells, may likewise represent an epigenetic concentration of the originally dispersed metals in the brines.