The mineralogical,elemental,and isotopic characteristics of a hydrothermal sulfide sample from one dredge station (12°42.30'N,103°54.48'W,water depth 2655 m) on the East Pacific Rise near 13°N were analyzed.The hydrothermal sulfide was composed mainly of sphalerite,chalcopyrite,and pyrite and was a Zn-rich sulfide;in layer ep-s-1,goethite formed by secondary oxidation was found.The concentrations of rare elements,such as Li (0.15×10-6-0.30×10-6),Be (0.01×10-6-0.05×10-6),Zr (73.8×10-9-1344×10-9),Nb (8.14×10-9-64.7×10-9),Hf (2.54×10-9-28.0×10-9),and Ta (0.203×10-9-1.21×10-9),were far lower in the hydrothermal sulfide than in the ocean crust,whereas the content of Au was higher and the contents of Co,Ni,Sr,Cs,Ba,Bi,and U were low.The correlations between Zn and Cr,Cd and Ga,Cu and P,P and In (R2 > 0.8) were positive,whereas those between Zn and Fe,Cu,and Ba (R2 > 0.8) were distinctly negative.From low-temperature mineral assemblages to high-temperature mineral assemblages,the spatial distributions of dispersive and rare elements (e.g.In,Li,Cs) in the hydrothermal sulfide displayed corresponding variations.The variations observed in some elements (e.g.,Cd,Cs,P) are controlled by Zn,Fe,and Cu sulfides,respectively.Seafloor weathering accounts for the enrichment of V,Mn,and rare earth elements (REE) in the henna sulfide-oxidation layer that bears the secondary oxide mineral,leading to identical REE patterns for this layer (ep-s-1) and seawater.Seafloor weathering also distinctly affects the correlations between the element ratios of the hydrothermal sulfide.From high-temperature mineral assemblages to low-temperature mineral assemblages,Fe content and δ 34S value of the hydrothermal sulfide increase gradually,and Zn content and lead isotopic ratios decrease gradually on the contrary,which indicate the influences of seawater on elements and the sulfur and lead isotopic compositions enhance gradually during the formation of hydrothermal sulfides.
ZENG ZhiGang1,CHEN DaiGeng1,2,YIN XueBo1,WANG XiaoYuan1,ZHANG GuoLiang1,2 & WANG XiaoMei1,2 1 Seafloor Hydrothermal Activity Laboratory of the Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment,Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Qingdao 266071,China
Sediment samples obtained from the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge were studies by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer(GC-MS) for the abundance and distributions of total fatty acids(TFAs). Approximately 34 fatty acids were identified, with the chain-lengths ranging from C12 to C30. The total concentrations of TFAs(∑TFA) ranged from 7.15 to 30.09 μg g-1 dry sediment, and ∑TFA was weakly correlated with bitumen content(R2 = 0.69). The ∑TFA of samples around hydrothermal areas were significantly higher than that of samples away from hydrothermal areas, indicating intense primary production and large biomass in the hydrothermal areas, and suggesting a close relationship between hydrothermal activity and ∑TFA of samples. The characteristics of the TFA composition in the present study are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and lacking in polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the ratios between the concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids and ΣTFAs in samples close to the hydrothermal areas, are about 0.8, but for samples far from the hydrothermal areas, they are only about 0.5. Several fatty acids(e.g., a/i C15:0 and C16:1ω7), which are signature biomarkers for sulfur-metabolizing bacteria, show the same distribution trend as ∑TFA of samples, further highlighting the close relationship between fatty acid content and hydrothermal activity and/or hydrothermal communities. The metabolic activities of hydrothermal communities, especially those of microorganisms, are likely the main source of fatty acids in samples.
Peridotites from the southern Mariana forearc were sampled on the landward trench slope of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) subduction zone by dredging.These mantle wedge peridotites underwent hydration by fluid derived from a dehydrated descending slab,and later interacted with seawater after emplacement at or near the seafloor.This study investigates how these two different rock-fluid interaction processes influenced trace element distribution in the southern Mariana forearc peridotites.We measured trace element concentrations of peridotites from the southern Mariana forearc.The southern Mariana forearc peridotites are characterized by a distinct seawater-like REE pattern with an obvious negative Ce anomaly,and La shows good correlation with other REEs (except Ce).In addition,there is a great enrichment of U,Pb,Sr and Li elements,which show a distinct positive anomaly relative to adjacent elements in the multi-element diagram.For the seawater-like REE pattern,we infer that REEs are mainly influenced by seawater during peridotite-seawater interactions after their emplacement at or near the seafloor,by serpentinization or by marine weathering.Furthermore,the anomalous behavior of Ce,compared with other rare earth elements in these samples,may indicate that they have undergone reactions involving Ce (IV) when the peridotites interacted with seawater.Positive U,Pb,Sr and Li anomalies are inferred to be related to seawater and/or fluids released during dehydration of the subducting slab.
Fe-Si-Mn-oxyhydroxide encrustations at the East Pacific Rise(EPR) near 13°N were analyzed using the scanning electron microscope(SEM) with an energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS). These encrustations are mainly composed of amorphous FeSi-Mn-oxyhydroxides forming laminated, spherical, porous aggregates with some biodetritus, anhydrite, nontronite, and feldspar particles. Anhydrite particles and nontronite crystals in the Fe-Si-Mn-oxyhydroxide encrustations imply that the Fe-Si-Mn- oxyhydroxide may have formed under relatively low- to high-temperature hydrothermal conditions. The Fe-Si-Mn-oxyhydroxide encrustations on pillow basalts are 1–2 mm thick. The growth rate of ferromanganese crusts in the survey area suggests that these encrustations are an unlikely result of hydrogenic deposition alone having a hydrothermal and(Fe/Mn ratio up to 7.7 and Fe/(Fe+Mn+Al) ratio exceeding 0.78) hydrogenic origin(0.22 Fe/Mn ratio close to the mean value of 0.7 for open-ocean seamount crusts). The varying Fe/Mn ratios indicate that the Fe-Si-Mn-oxyhydroxide encrustations have formed through several stages of seafloor hydrothermalism. It is suggested that, at the initial formation stage, dense Fe-Si-oxyhydroxides with low Mn content deposit from a relatively reducing hydrothermal fluid, and then the loose Fe-Si-Mn-oxyhydroxides deposit on the Fe-Si-oxyhydroxides. As the oxidation degree of hydrothermal fluid increases and Si-oxide is inhibited, Mn-oxide will precipitate with Fe-oxyhydroxides.
WANG XiaoyuanZENG ZhigangQI HaiyanCHEN ShuaiYIN XueboYANG Baoju
