Sulfide Sulfate Chimneys on the East Pacific Rise
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Canadian Mineralogist Yol.26, pp. 487-504(1988) SULFIDE_SULFATECHIMNEYS ON THE EAST PACIFICRISE, 11o AND 13oN LAflTUDES. PARTt: MtNERALOcy AND PARAGENESTS URSULAM. GRAHAM, GREGGJ. BLUTHaNo HIRoSHI oHMoTo Department of Geosciences,The Pennsylvonia State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802,U.S.A. ASSTRACT speciesfor FeS2,but also recrystallization and replacernent of earlier minerals in warmer conditions. Hydrothermal fluids up to -350.C emerge . o from vent sitesar I I and I3"N latitudes,East pacific Rise. Varia_ Keywords: chimneys, hydrothermal, sulfides, sulfates, tions in the morphology, zoning and mtneralogyof 27 chim_ mineralogy, zoning, paragenesis.East Pacific Rise. neys from I I vent sites can be representedby three active a1{ ge eltinctdogged chimney. Microscopii observation SoMMAIRE of 127 polished sections of these four chimneys has rev_ ealedfour types eachofmarcasite, pyrite and wurtzite, and Des fluides hydrothermaux atteignant une temp6rature lwg.types of sphalerite, which are distinct in their crystal d'environ 350oCsont 6mis des€vents aux latitudes llo et habits. Th€ consistency in the parageneticsequ.n.. und io l3oN, le long de la ride Est-Pacifique.Les variations en the spatial distribution with respect to the exterior chim_ morphologie, zonation et mindralogiede 27 chemin6espro- ney wall of theseFe and Zn sulfides, as well as anhydrite, venant de I I sites sont bien repr6sentdespar trois chemi- cialcopyrite and bornite in these four chimneys ,r,ggot, ndesactives et une €teinte qui est engorgdede d6p6ts. Un all chimneys tha-t in the ll vent sites ,epresent sililar examen par microscopie de 127 sections prdlevdesde ces hydrothermal processes.The variation among the chimneys quatre chemindesr6vble la prdsencede quatre g6n6ralions reflects simply the difference in the maturity (ongevity of de marcasite, pyrite et wurtzite, et deux de sphal6rite, dis- vgnting) preservation and of a complete liaeirty ctrlmney, tingudespar leur habitus. La concordancedans la sdquence which is comprisedof 8 mineralogicalzones. Formation paragen6tiquede ces sulfures de Fe et de Zn, de l,anhy- of zone-l gugerals (anhydrite with minor subhefual pyrite, drite, de la chalcopyrite a de la bornite, aussibien que dans and anhedral marcasiteand wurtzite) takes place during leur distribution par rapport d Ia paroi externe, fait penser mixing of hydrothermal fluids and cold seawaterwhen the que toute chemin6edes I I sitesd,€vents r€sulte de proces- rate of mineral precipitation exceedsmineral dissolution sus hydrothermaux semblables,et que les variations enrre by cold seawater. During outward growth of a chimney, les chemindess'expliquent simplement par les diff6rences zone-l minerals are continuously dissolved by later en maturit6 (durdede l'€mission)et en degr6de prdserva- hydrothermal fl uids, and also metasomaticallytransiormed tion d'une chemin6ecomplbte iddate, qui comprendhuit successively to zone2 (mostly large colloform marcasiteand zones min6ralogiques. Les mindraux de la zone I (anhy- wyt?ite), (mostly zone 3 cubesof pyrite and colloform drite, pyrite sub-idiomorpheaccessoire, avec marcasite non- sphalerite),zone (mostly 4 bomite), and zone 5 (mostly chal_ idiomorphe et wurtzite) sesont form& lors du m6langeentre copyrite); some new minerals (e.g., cubes of iyrite, le fluide hydrothermal et l'eau de mer froide, lorsque le sphalerite, chalcopyrite) also precipitate directly from the taux de pr6cipitation est superieur au taur( de dissolution hydrothermal fluids within the pore space created by the desmin6raux dansI'eau de mer ambiante. Pendantla crois- dissolution of zone-I.minerals. With continued u.n'tiog, sanceexcentrique d'une chemin6e,les mindraux delazone I channel openings enlarge, imd each sulfide zone tends ro sont continuellement redissous par les fluides hydrother- become wider and monomineralic; the width of the maux plus jeunes, ainsi que transform6s par m6tasomato- anhydrite-rich zone l, however,becomes larger during early sessuccessives en assemblagesdes zones 2 (principalement venting and then decreaseswith time. Clogging of a-chim_ de la marcasite colloforme d grains grossierset de la wun- ney occurs during the waning stageofhydrothermal activiry, zite), 3 (principalement des cubesde pyrite et de Ia sphal6- by precipitation -8 of zone-7 and minerals (wurtzite, mar_ rite colloforme), 4 (principalementde la bornite), et 5 casite pyrite) and along the inner chalcopyriie wall oizone (principalementde la chalcopyrite). Certainsmin€raux (par 5, and recrystallization in time to form zone6 (mostly pyrite exemple, cubes de pyrite, sphal6rite et chalcopyrite) sont a1d sphalerite). With decreasinghydrothermal activlty, tne aussidirectement pr6cipit& desfluidc hydrothermauxdans chimney walls begin to dissolve fiom the outside bv?ac_ les pores cr6espar la dissolution des min6raux de la zone tion with cold se:rwater.The observedparagenesis suggests l. A mesureque l'6mission progresse,les orifices s'€lar- that the ratesof cooling and oxidation, as will as tt . -.:tut_ gissent,et chaquezone de sulfures tend i devenir plus large sulfur chemistry of hydrothermal fluids, are important et monomindralique,except€ la zone l, qui s'6largit pen- parameters that control the chimney mineralogy. Quench- dant les stadespr6coces pour ensuite diminuer au cours de ing of H2S-rich fluids, causedby rapid mixing wiih cold l'€volution d'un 6vent. L'engorgement d'une chemin€e seawater, may result in precipitation of pyrrhotite and wun_ caracteriseles stadesterminaux de I'activitd hydrothermale, zite, while anhydrite precipitatesby incorporating SOr2- lors de la pr6cipitation desmin6raux deszones 7 ef 8 (wun- oI locat s€awater. Anhydrite layersformed by zucha process zite, marcasiteet pyrite) le long de la paroi interne'de chal- may play important roles both physically and chemically copyrite de la zone5, et de leur recristallisationdventuelle in the development of sulfide mineralogywithin the chim- pour former la zone 6 (principalement de la pyrite et de ney_walls by creating environments that promote not only Ia sphal6rite).Au cours de la diminution de I'activit€, les oxidation of hydrothermal H2S to generate polysulfide parois d'une chemindesont progressivementdissous par 481 488 THE CANADIAN MINERALOGIST rfuction avecI'eau de mer froide. La s6quenceparag6n6ti- by Haymon & Kastner(1981), Oudin (1983),Gold- que observ6eindique que les taux de refroidissementet farb et ol. (1983),and Haymon (1983).Lareer, struc- d'oxydation,aussi bien que les relations chimiques entre turally more complex sulfide deposits than those m6tauxet soufredans les fluides hydrothermau(, exercent from 21oN have been found on the Endeavor and un contr6leimportant sur la compositionmindralogique of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, d'unechemin€e. Un refroidissementbrutal de fluides riches Middle Valley Segments en H2Spar m6langerapide avec l'eau de merpourrart cau- and are described respectively by Tivey & Delaney serla prdcipitationde pyrrhotite et dewurzite, tandisque (1986)and Tunnicliffe et al. (1986).The chemical I'anhydriteserait precipit€e par incorporationdu SOa2- evolution of ocean-ridgehot springsis describedby provenantde l'eau demer ambiante.Les niveaux d'anhy- Bowers et al, (1985), and a laboratory and theoreti- drite ainsiform6s pourrart jouer desr6les physique et chi- cal study of the growh of black-smokerchimneys miqueimportants dans le d6veloppementde la mindralogre is given by Turner & Campbell (1987). dessulfures i I'int6rizurdes parois d'une cheminde en cr6ant Chimney samples from the vent sites studied by qui, provoquent du desmilieux non seulement l'oxydatron previousworkers are similar in many respects.For pour permettrela formationd'espdces H2Shydrothermal of chal- polysulfur€esaux d6pensdu FeS2,mais aussi facilitent la example,the chimneysconsist dominantly recristallisationet le remplacementdes min6raux pr6coces copyrite, pyrite, wurtzite (sphalerite),and anhydrite, dansles milieux plus chauds. although their proportions vary greatly among the (Traduit par la R6daction) chimneys. There are regularities in mineralogical zonation, with a nearly monomineralic chalcopyrite Mots-cl&: chemindes,hydrothermal, sulfures, sulfates, layer at the interior walls of the chimneys, and an mindralogie,zonation, paragendse, ride Est-Pacifique. increasetowards the exteriorsin the abundanceof disseminated Fe and Zn sulfides associated with INTRODUCTION anhydrite. Replacement and overgrowth textures Within the past decade, hydrothermal systems among sulfides are also common to all chimney activelydepositing sulfides of Cu, Fe, and Zn have structures. been examinedat numerous locations along oceanic Previous investigators recognizedthat minerals in spreading ridges. The strongest manifestation of the chimneys were formed by two concurrent hydrothermal activity occurs within axial grabens processes:direct precipitation from the mixed solu- (H6kinian et al. 1983, Ballard et al. 1984). The tions of hot fluid and cold seawater,and replace- hydrothermal vents dischargemetal- and H2S-rich, ment or recrystallization of the earlier minerals acidic, high-temperature(up to -350"C) fluids into within the chimneywall (e.g., Goldfarb et ol. 1983, cold seawater; sulfide and sulfate minerals precipi- H6kinian et al. 1983,Tivey & Delaney1986). Initial tate from the mixtures of hydrothermal fluids and chimney growth starts with the rapid precipitation seawater. of anhydrite and minor sulfidesto establisha perme- Precipitates from high-temperature vents seemto able chimney wall (Goldfarb