scholarly journals Critical role of caldera collapse in the formation of seafloor mineralization: The case of Brothers volcano

Geology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 762-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornel E.J. de Ronde ◽  
Susan E. Humphris ◽  
Tobias W. Höfig ◽  
Agnes G. Reyes ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrothermal Fluid ◽  
Porphyry Copper ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Wall Rock ◽  
Hydrothermal Activity ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Magmatic Fluid ◽  
Caldera Collapse

Abstract Hydrothermal systems hosted by submarine arc volcanoes commonly include a large component of magmatic fluid. The high Cu-Au contents and strongly acidic fluids in these systems are similar to those that formed in the shallow parts of some porphyry copper and epithermal gold deposits mined today on land. Two main types of hydrothermal systems occur along the submarine portion of the Kermadec arc (offshore New Zealand): magmatically influenced and seawater-dominated systems. Brothers volcano hosts both types. Here, we report results from a series of drill holes cored by the International Ocean Discovery Program into these two types of hydrothermal systems. We show that the extent of hydrothermal alteration of the host dacitic volcaniclastics and lavas reflects primary lithological porosity and contrasting spatial and temporal contributions of magmatic fluid, hydrothermal fluid, and seawater. We present a two-step model that links the changes in hydrothermal fluid regime to the evolution of the volcano caldera. Initial hydrothermal activity, prior to caldera formation, was dominated by magmatic gases and hypersaline brines. The former mixed with seawater as they ascended toward the seafloor, and the latter remained sequestered in the subsurface. Following caldera collapse, seawater infiltrated the volcano through fault-controlled permeability, interacted with wall rock and the segregated brines, and transported associated metals toward the seafloor and formed Cu-Zn-Au–rich chimneys on the caldera walls and rim, a process continuing to the present day. This two-step process may be common in submarine arc caldera volcanoes that host volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, and it is particularly efficient at focusing mineralization at, or near, the seafloor.

scholarly journals Coupled partitioning of Au and As into pyrite controls formation of giant Au deposits

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. eaav5891 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Kusebauch ◽  
S. A. Gleeson ◽  
M. Oelze
Keyword(s):  
Partition Coefficients ◽  
Hydrothermal Fluid ◽  
Iron Sulfide ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Hydrothermal Fluids ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Depositional Process ◽  
Partitioning Behavior

The giant Carlin-type Au deposits (Nevada, USA) contain gold hosted in arsenic-rich iron sulfide (pyrite), but the processes controlling the sequestration of Au in these hydrothermal systems are poorly understood. Here, we present an experimental study investigating the distribution of Au and As between hydrothermal fluid and pyrite under conditions similar to those found in Carlin-type Au deposits. We find that Au from the fluid strongly partitions into a newly formed pyrite depending on the As concentration and that the coupled partitioning behavior of these two trace elements is key for Au precipitation. On the basis of our experimentally derived partition coefficients, we developed a mass balance model that shows that simple partitioning (and the underlying process of adsorption) is the major depositional process in these systems. Our findings help to explain why pyrite in Carlin-type gold deposits can scavenge Au from hydrothermal fluids so efficiently to form giant deposits.

scholarly journals Intrusion-Associated Gold Systems and Multistage Metallogenic Processes in the Neoarchean Abitibi Greenstone Belt

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Lucie Mathieu
Keyword(s):  
Greenstone Belt ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Magmatic Fluid ◽  
Gold Deposition ◽  
Alkaline Magmatism ◽  
Abitibi Greenstone Belt ◽  
Metamorphic Fluids ◽  
Greenstone Belts ◽  
Gold Bearing

In gold-endowed greenstone belts, ore bodies generally correspond to orogenic gold systems (OGS) formed during the main deformation stage that led to craton stabilization (syntectonic period). Most OGS deposits postdate and locally overprint magmatic-hydrothermal systems, such as Au-Cu porphyry that mostly formed during the main magmatic stage (synvolcanic period) and polymetallic intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS) of the syntectonic period. Porphyries are associated with tonalite-dominated and sanukitoid plutons, whereas most IRGS are related to alkaline magmatism. As reviewed here, most intrusion-associated mineralization in the Abitibi greenstone belt is the result of complex and local multistage metallogenic processes. A new classification is proposed that includes (1) OGS and OGS-like deposits dominated by metamorphic and magmatic fluids, respectively; (2) porphyry and IRGS that may contain gold remobilized during subsequent deformation episodes; (3) porphyry and IRGS that are overprinted by OGS. Both OGS and OGS-like deposits are associated with crustal-scale faults and display similar gold-deposition mechanisms. The main difference is that magmatic fluid input may increase the oxidation state and CO2 content of the mineralizing fluid for OGS-like deposits, while OGS are characterized by the circulation of reduced metamorphic fluids. For porphyry and IRGS, mineralizing fluids and metals have a magmatic origin. Porphyries are defined as base metal and gold-bearing deposits associated with large-volume intrusions, while IRGS are gold deposits that may display a polymetallic signature and that can be associated with small-volume syntectonic intrusions. Some porphyry, such as the Côté Gold deposit, demonstrate that magmatic systems can generate economically significant gold mineralization. In addition, many deposits display evidence of multistage processes and correspond to gold-bearing or gold-barren magmatic-hydrothermal systems overprinted by OGS or by gold-barren metamorphic fluids. In most cases, the source of gold remains debated. Whether magmatic activity was essential or marginal for fertilizing the upper crust during the Neoarchean remains a major topic for future research, and petrogenetic investigations may be paramount for distinguishing gold-endowed from barren greenstone belts.

REE in fluid inclusions of quartz from gold deposits of north-eastern Russia

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Vikent’eva ◽  
Gennady Gamyanin ◽  
Nikolay Bortnikov
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Inclusions ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Total Concentration ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Magmatic Fluid ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Ree Patterns ◽  
Eastern Russia

AbstractInductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used to determine rare earth element concentrations in aqueous solutions extracted from fluid inclusions. Quartz has been sampled from ores of three major types of polygenic gold hydrothermal systems of North-Eastern Russia: (1) gold-quartz-sulphide (Au-Q, Nezhdaninsk); (2) gold-antimony (Au-Sb, Sarylakh) and (3) intrusion-related gold-bismuth-siderite-polysulphide (Au-Bi-Sid, Arkachan) large deposits located in terrigenous rocks of the Verkhoyansk fold belt. The total concentration of REE in the fluid inclusions is not high (up to 52 ppm). The contribution of LREE dominates in REE balance (ΣLREE/ΣHREE=7.4–112.1). The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of inclusion fluids for the Au-Q and Au-Bi-Sid deposits are characterized by LREE enrichment with a positive or negative Eu anomaly. REE patterns for the regenerated quartz from Au-Sb deposits are characterized by pronounced differentiation between light and heavy lanthanides in fluid inclusions. Significant total REE concentration decreasing (on 1–2 order) from early to late stages of Nezhdaninsk and Arkachan deposits is revealed. The positive correlations of total REE concentrations with Rb, Cs, Li and B contents in fluid inclusions are shown. The REE distribution in fluid inclusions can be used as indicators of the contribution of magmatic fluid in the hydrothermal system.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of Hydrothermal Processes in the Cyprus Type Fe-Cu-Zn Deposits of the Italian Northern Apennines: Results of Combined Fluid Inclusion Microthermometry, SEM-CL Imaging and Trace Element Analyses by LA-ICP-MS

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
Gabriella B. Kiss ◽  
Zsolt Bendő ◽  
Giorgio Garuti ◽  
Federica Zaccarini ◽  
Edit Király ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Inclusion ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Fluid Inclusions ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Hydrothermal Activity ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Original Position ◽  
Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide ◽  
Hydrothermal Conditions ◽  
Icp Ms

Quartz from the stockwork zone of various Cyprus type volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (Boccassuolo, Reppia, Campegli, Bargone and Vigonzano) from the unmetamorphosed, Jurassic Northern Apennine ophiolites was studied in order to provide details on the submarine hydrothermal conditions and the characteristics for ore formation. Our detailed SEM-CL investigation of quartz contributed to a robust characterization and interpretation of primary fluid inclusions and microthermometry data. SEM-CL imaging was also useful for reconstructing the consecutive steps of quartz precipitation. The determination of trace element contents according to growth zoning in quartz by LA-ICP-MS constrained the compositional variations of parent fluids during the hydrothermal activity. A continuously cooling fluid regime characterized each studied volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) occurrence although the minimum formation temperatures were different (Bargone: 110–270 °C; Boccassuolo: 60–360 °C; Campegli: 110–225 °C; Reppia: 50–205 °C; Vigonzano: 260–330 °C), the range of temperature most probably depends on the original position of sampling in relation to the centers of the hydrothermal systems. Compositional changes are reflected by variations in the methane content (0.13–0.33 mol/kg) and salinity (2.6–9.3 NaCl equiv. wt. %) in the fluid inclusions of quartz and calcite as well as a changeable Al content (11–1526 ppm) in quartz. This study demonstrates that the combined use of SEM-CL imaging and LA-ICP-MS analyses, coupled with fluid inclusion microthermometry, can constrain the different fluid conditions of ore forming and the barren stages of evolving submarine hydrothermal systems.

scholarly journals Analysis of Hydrothermal Systems Beneath Tayukeng through Long-Term Geochemical Signals of Hydrothermal Fluids in Tatun Volcano Group, Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7411
Author(s):  
Hsin-Fu Yeh ◽  
Hung-Hsiang Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Hydrothermal System ◽  
Hydrothermal Fluid ◽  
Thermal Water ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Hydrothermal Fluids ◽  
Geochemical Variations ◽  
Northern Taiwan

The Tatun Volcano Group (TVG) is located in northern Taiwan and consists of many springs and fumaroles. The Tayukeng (TYK) area is the most active fumarole site in the TVG. In this study, we analyzed the long-term geochemical variations of hydrothermal fluids and proposed a mechanism responsible for the variation in TYK. There are two different aquifers beneath the TYK area: a shallow SO42−-rich aquifer and a deeper aquifer rich in Cl−. TYK thermal water was mainly supplied by the shallow SO42−-rich aquifer; therefore, the thermal water showed high SO42− concentrations. After 2015, the inflow of deep thermal water increased, causing the Cl− concentrations of the TYK to increase. Notably, the inferred reservoir temperatures based on quartz geothermometry increased; however, the surface temperature of the spring decreased. We inferred that the enthalpy was lost during transportation to the surface. Therefore, the surface temperature of the spring does not increase with an increased inflow of deep hydrothermal fluid. The results can serve as a reference for understanding the complex evolution of the magma-hydrothermal system in the TVG.

scholarly journals Oxygen Fugacity and Volatile Content of Syntectonic Magmatism in the Neoarchean Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Superior Province, Canada

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 966
Author(s):  
Baptiste Madon ◽  
Lucie Mathieu ◽  
Jeffrey H. Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Fugacity ◽  
Greenstone Belt ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Gold Mineralization ◽  
Gold Deposits ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Temporal Association ◽  
Volatile Content ◽  
Abitibi Subprovince

Neoarchean syntectonic intrusions from the Chibougamau area, northeastern Abitibi Subprovince (greenstone belt), may be genetically related to intrusion related gold mineralization. These magmatic-hydrothermal systems share common features with orogenic gold deposits, such as spatial and temporal association with syntectonic magmatism. Genetic association with magmatism, however, remains controversial for many greenstone belt hosted Au deposits. To precisely identify the link between syntectonic magmas and gold mineralization in the Abitibi Subprovince, major and trace-element compositions of whole rock, zircon, apatite, and amphibole grains were measured for five intrusions in the Chibougamau area; the Anville, Saussure, Chevrillon, Opémisca, and Lac Line Plutons. The selected intrusions are representative of the chemical diversity of synvolcanic (TTG suite) and syntectonic (e.g., sanukitoid, alkaline intrusion) magmatism. Chemical data enable calculation of oxygen fugacity and volatile content, and these parameters were interpreted using data collected by electron microprobe and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The zircon and apatite data and associated oxygen fugacity values in magma indicate that the youngest magmas are the most oxidized. Moreover, similar oxygen fugacity and high volatile content for both the Saussure Pluton and the mineralized Lac Line intrusion may indicate a possible prospective mineralized system associated with the syntectonic Saussure intrusion.

Detachment-parallel recharge explains high discharge fluxes at the TAG hydrothermal field

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Rüpke ◽  
Zhikui Guo ◽  
Sven Petersen ◽  
Christopher German ◽  
Benoit Ildefonse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Hanging Wall ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Hydrothermal Activity ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
High Discharge ◽  
Circulation Mode ◽  
Spreading Ridges

Abstract Submarine massive sulfide deposits on slow-spreading ridges are larger and longer-lived than deposits at fast-spreading ridges1,2, likely due to more pronounced tectonic faulting creating stable preferential fluid pathways3,4. The TAG hydrothermal mound at 26°N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is a typical example located on the hanging wall of a detachment fault5-7. It has formed through distinct phases of high-temperature fluid discharge lasting 10s to 100s of years throughout at least the last 50,000 years8 and is one of the largest sulfide accumulations on the MAR. Yet, the mechanisms that control the episodic behavior, keep the fluid pathways intact, and sustain the observed high heat fluxes of up to 1800 MW9 remain poorly understood. Previous concepts involved long-distance channelized high-temperature fluid upflow along the detachment5,10 but that circulation mode is thermodynamically unfavorable11 and incompatible with TAG's high discharge fluxes. Here, based on the joint interpretation of hydrothermal flow observations and 3-D flow modeling, we show that the TAG system can be explained by episodic magmatic intrusions into the footwall of a highly permeable detachment surface. These intrusions drive episodes of hydrothermal activity with sub-vertical discharge and recharge along the detachment. This revised flow regime reconciles problematic aspects of previously inferred circulation patterns and can be used as guidance to one critical combination of parameters that can generate substantive mineral systems.

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