Diffuse, Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Deposits on the Juan De Fuca Ridge and Plate
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DIFFUSE, LOW-TEMPERATURE HYDROTHERMAL DEPOSITS ON THE JUAN DE FUCA RIDGE AND PLATE Catherine Erma Channing B.Sc., Carleton University, 2001 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences O Catherine E. Channing, 2004 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. Supervisor: Dr. Kathryn M. Gillis ABSTRACT Hydrothermal circulation in ocean crust results in significant geochemical exchanges between hydrosphere and lithosphere. This process begins at the mid-ocean ridge and continues as basaltic crust ages and is subducted, significantly altering the chemical composition of both fluid and rock. In the on-axis environment, heated crustal fluids with a composition altered from that of seawater vent as either high temperature (> 100 C), focused flow or low temperature (< 100 oC) diffuse flow. Reaction between warm fluids and basalt results in the alteration of the rock, manifested as the breakdown of glass and primary minerals and the deposition of secondary minerals. In the off-axis environment (crust > 1 Ma), crustal fluids discharge locally at seamounts, where extensive manganese oxides can precipitate. Both types of mineral deposits record the time-integrated history of diffuse fluid-rock interaction, and in addition, Mn-oxide deposits are useful for estimating the longevity of hydrothermal activity. The effects of low-temperature diffuse fluids on the basaltic crust was examined at both young (Axial Volcano) and mature (Main Endeavour field) on-axis hydrothermal sites. In general, alteration was very minor (< 2%), with the MEF basalts showing slightly more abundant and diverse mineral assemblages that that at Axial, due to the presumed longer period of low-temperature basalt-water reaction. Interaction of basalt with diffuse, low-temperature fluids resulted in only minor chemical changes in basalt. Chemical fluxes for basalt alteration at Axial Volcano is insignificant when compared to the cumulative on-axis fluid flux and fluxes associated with older, off-axis basalt alteration. Diffuse fluids from Axial were examined using geochemical modeling to determine how parameters such as fluid temperature, pH and degree of mixing and water-rock reaction influence alteration mineral precipitation. Results show that precipitation of the observed alteration assemblages requires a combination of minerals precipitating directly from diffuse fluids, from mixing of fluids and seawater (at < 20 % seawater) and fi-om diffuse fluid - basalt reaction at water-rock ratios > 200: 1. Manganese oxide crusts were examined at Baby Bare seamount to investigate the history of hydrothermal venting. Baby Bare acts to focus crustal fluids, which precipitate extensive Mn-oxide deposits. Textural, mineralogical and chemical evidence indicates a hydrothermal origin for these deposits, with a diagenetic signature as well. Minimum ages of Mn-oxide crusts, using calculated growth rates (324 to - 1800 mm/Ma) and manganese outcrop thicknesses, indicate that Baby Bare has been hydrothermally active for at least 0.5 Myr, and possibly since its formation at - 1.7 Myr. TABLE OF CONTENTS .. ABSTRACT .......................................................................................11 TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................v ... LIST OF TABLES ..............................................................................VIII LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..................................................................... x 1 . INTRODUCTION ............................................................................1 1.1. Oceanic Hydrothermal Systems ................................................1 1.2. Study Areas ...........................................................................5 1.3. Diffuse Hydrothermal Fluids ....................................................8 1.4. Thesis Objectives ..................................................................9 1.5. Contributions and Publication Plan ..........................................10 Z . ALTERATION AND MASS TRANSFER AT AXIAL, LOW-TEMPERATURE DIFFUSE HYDROTHERMAL SITES .............................................11 2.1. Introduction .........................................................................11 a 1.1. Geologic Setting and Sample Suites ......................................12 2.1.2. Dfluse Hydrothermal Fluids ..............................................16 2.2. Methods ..............................................................................19 2.2.1. Analytical Methods ........................................................19 2.2.2. Geochemical Modeling Methods ...........................................21 2.3. Results ...............................................................................26 2.3.1.Alteration Mineralogy .....................................................26 a3.2.Bulk Rock Chemistry...................................................... 29 2.3.3. Chemical Change Calculations............................................ 33 2.3.4. Geochemical Models .......................................................34 2.3.4.1. Model I - Speciation of Dzfluse Fluids ........................34 2.3.4.2. Model 2 - Dguse Fluid - Seawater Mizing Model ...........37 2.3.4.3. Model 3- Dguse Fluid - Basalt Reaction Model .............42 2.4. Discussion ............................................................................45 2.4.1. Alteration ofBasaltic Crust................................................ 45 2.4.9. Chemical Fluxes ............................................................48 2.5. Conclusions .........................................................................53 3 . HYDROTHERMAL MANGANESE OXIDE DEPOSITS FROM BABY BARE SEAMOUNT IN THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC OCEAN .....................54 3.1. Introduction .........................................................................54 3.2. Regional Setting ..................................................................55 3.2. 1. Baby Bare Geologic Setting............................................... 55 3.3. Sample Suite ........................................................................59 3.4. Analytical Methods ................................................................64 3.5. Results ..............................................................................-65 3.5.1. Mineralogy .................................................................65 3.5.2. Bulk Chemistry ............................................................66 3.6. Discussion ...........................................................................70 3.6. I . Classzficationas Diagenetically Inzuenced Hydrothermal Crusts ......................................................................70 3.6.2. Elemental Sources and Growth-Conditions.............................. 75 3.6.3. Calculation of Crust Growth Rates ........................................80 3.7. Conclusions ........................................................................83 vii 4. CONCLUSIONS ...............................................................................84 FUTURE WORK ................................................................................86 REFERENCES CITED ........................................................................87 APPENDIX A: SAMPLE LOCATION SUMMARY FOR AXIAL VOLCANO AND MAIN ENDEAVOUR FIELD ....................................106 APPENDIX B: SAMPLE DESCRIPTIONS ..............................................108 APPENDIX C: PRECISION AND ACCURACY .......................................115 APPENDIX D: ELECTRON MICROPROBE DATA ..................................119 APPENDIX E: LASER ABLATION ICP-MS RESULTS .............................127 APPENDIX F: GEOCHEMICAL MODELING METHODS .........................129 F. 1 . Introduction ...................................................................... 129 F.2. Initial Steps ..............................................................129 F.3. Sensitivity Calculations ...............................................133 F.4. Mineral Suppression.................................................... 134 F.5. Geochemist's Workbench Suite.................................... 135 F.6. Calculation Check .......................................................139 APPENDIX G: ALTERATION MINERALOGY SUMMARY FOR AXIAL VOLCANO AND MAIN ENDEAVOUR FIELD ...................141 APPENDIX H: RESULTS OF CHEMICAL CHANGE CALCULATIONS ........143 APPENDIX I: GEOCHEMICAL MODELING RESULTS ...........................146 viii LIST OF TABLES Number Table 2.1. Fluid chemistry used for geochemical models ..................................18 Table 2.2. Basalt chemistry used for geochemical models ...................................25 Table 2.3. List of minerals suppressed in geochemical models ............................25 Table 2.4. Alteration minerals and fluid temperatures during basalt collection .........28 Table 2.5. Bulk rock chemistry of basalt from Axial Volcano ..............................30 Table 2.6. Bulk Chemistry of basalt from the Main Endeavour Field .....................31 Table 2.7. Conditions at which fluid-seawater mix became seawater dominated ........41 Table 2.8. Comparison of flux calculations in the Axial region ............................51