Tide-influenced acidic hydrothermal system offshore NE Taiwan

Elemental sulfur and hydrogen sulfide emitted offshore of northeastern Taiwan known to local fishermen for generations, but never studied until recently, are found to have originated from a cluster of shallow (< 30 m depth) hydrothermal vents. Among the mounds is a massive 6 m high chimney with a diameter of 4 m at the base composed of almost pure sulfur and discharging hydrothermal fluid containing sulfur particles. The sulfur in the chimney has a delta(34)S= 1.1 parts per thousand that is isotopically lighter than seawater. A yellow smoker at shallow depths with such characteristics has never been reported on anywhere else in the world. Gas discharges from these vents are dominated by CO2 (> 92%) with small amounts of H2S. Helium isotopic ratios 7.5 times that of air indicate that these gases originate from the mantle. High temperature hydrothermal fluids have measured temperatures of 78-116 degrees C and pH (25 degrees C) values as low as 1.52, likely the lowest to be found in world records. Low temperature vents (30-65 degrees C) have higher pH values. Continuous temperature records from one vent show a close correlation with diumal tides, suggesting rapid circulation of the hydrothermal fluids. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

He, Ne and Ar isotope compositions of fluid inclusions in hydrothermal sulfides from the TAG hydrothermal field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Helium, rieon and argon isotope compositions of fluid inclusions have been measured in hydrothermal sulfide samples from the TAG hydrothermal field at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Fluid-inclusion He-3/He-4 ratios are 2.2-13.3 times the air value (Ra), and with a mean of 7.2 Ra. Comparison with the local vent fluids (He-3/He-4=7.5-8.2 Ra) and mid-ocean ridge basalt values (He-3/He-4=6-11 Ra) shows that the variation range of He-3/He-4 ratios from sulfide-hosted fluid inclusions is significantly large. Values for Ne-20/Ne-22 are from 10.2 to 11.4, which are significantly higher than the atmospheric ratio (9.8). And fluid-inclusion Ar-40/Ar-36 ratios range from 287 to 359, which are close to the atmospheric values (295.5). These results indicate that the noble gases of fluid inclusions in hydrothermal sulfides are a mixture of mantle- and seawater-derived noble gases; the partial mantle-derived components of trapped hydrothermal fluids may be from the lower mantle; the helium of fluid inclusions is mainly from upper mantle; and the Ne and Ar components are mainly from seawater.

新疆萨吾尔金矿带构造-流体地球化学及成矿作用

The Sawuer gold belt is located in the transition belt between Siberian plate and Kazakhstan-Junggar plate. Based on the geological and geochemical studies on the Kuoerzhenkuola and Buerkesidai gold deposits, in Sawuer gold mineralization belt, the time-space structure of mineralization and mineralizing factor are studied, the metallogenic regularity is concluded in thistheses. The ore bodies have the regularity that orebody are of the extensive and compressive in the sallow and depth of volcanic apparatue, respectively, and the vertical extension of orebody is more intensive than the horizontal extension. The gold deposits were controlled by the fractures of volcanic apparatus and regional faults, and featured by the hydrothermal alteration and metasomatism type disseminated mineralization and filling type vein mineralization. By virtue of the geological and geochemical studies on the two deposits that the formation of the two deposits are significantly related to the volcanic activity, we propose new ideas about their origin: (1) the two deposits are located in the same strata, and share the same genesis. (2) both of two deposits are volcanogenic late-stage hydrothermal gold deposits. Based on mapping of volcanic lithofacies and structure for the first time, it is discovered that a volcanic apparatus existed in the study area. Volcanic-intrusive activity can be divided into three cycles and nine lithofacies. where the two deposits are hosted in the same volcanic cycle, in this case, the wall-rock should belong to the same strata. The 40Ar-39Ar age method is employed in this work to analyze the fluid inclusions of quartz in the ore bodies from Kuoerzhenkuola and Buerkesidai gold deposits. The results show that the main mineralization occurred in 332.05 + 2.02-332.59 + 0.5IMa and 335.53 + 0.32Ma~336.78 + 0.50Ma for Kuoerzhenkuola and Buerkesidai gold deposits respectively, indicating that the two deposits are formed almost at the same time, and the metallogenic epoch of the tow deposits are close to those of the hosting rocks formed by volcanic activity of Sawuer gold belt. This geochronological study supplies new evidence for determining the timing of gold mineralization, the geneses of gold deposits? and identifies that in Hercynian period, the Altai developed tectonic-magmatic-hydrothermal mineralization of Early Carboniferous period, except known two metallogenic mineralization periods including tectonic-magmatic-hydrothermal mineralization of Devonian period and Late Carboniferous-Permian period respectively. The study of fluid inclusions indicates that the ore-forming fluid is a type of NaCl-HbO fluid with medium-low temperature and low salinity, Au is transported by the type of auric-sulfur complex (Au (HS)2-), the ore is formed in reduction condition. Hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of fluid inclusions in the major mineralizating stage show that the solutions mainly originated from magmatic water and meteoric water. The fluid mixing and water-rock reaction cause the deposition of Au. The helium and argon isotope compositions of fluid inclusions hosted in pyrite have been measured from Kuoerzhenkuola and Buerkesidai gold deposits in Sawuer gold belt. The results show that the ore-forming fluids of two deposits possessed the same source and is a mixture of mantle- and partial meteoric water-derived fluid, and the reliability of He and Ar isotopic compositions in Hercynian period is discussed. Isotopic studies including H, O, He, C, S, Pb and Sr reveal the same result that the ore-forming fluids of two deposits possessed the same source: the water derived mainly from magmatic water, partially from meteoric water; the mineralizers and ore materials derived mainly from mantle beneath the island arc, and partially from crust. The ore-forming fluids of two deposits are a mixture of mantle-derived fluids being incorporated by crust-derived fluid, and shallow partial meteoric water. Based on these results, it is proposed that the geneses of the two gold deposits are the same, being volcanogenic late-stage hydrothermal gold deposits that the ore-forming fluids filled in fractures of volcanic apparatus and metasomatized the host rocks in the volcanic apparatus. It is the first time we carried out the geophysical exploration, that is, the EH-4 continuous electrical conductivity image system measurement, the results show that relative large-size mineralizing anomalies in underground have been discovered.lt can confirm the law and genesis of the deposits mentioned above, and change the two abandoned mines to current large-size potenial exploration target.

Perovskite-type B-site Bi-doped ceramic membranes for oxygen separation

Novel mixed conducting oxides, B-site Bi-doped perovskites were exploited and synthesized. Cubic perovskite structures were formed for BaBi0.2COyFe0.8-yO3-delta (y less than or equal to 0.4) and BaBixCo0.2Fe0.8-xP3-delta (x=0.1-0.5) The materials exhibited considerable high oxygen permeability at high temperature. The oxygen permeation flux of BaBi0.2Co0.35Fe0.45O3-delta membrane reached about 0.77 x 10(-6) mol/cm(2) s under an air/helium oxygen partial pressure gradient at 900 degrees C, which was much higher than that of other bismuth-contained mixed conducting membranes. The permeation fluxes of the materials increased with the increase of cobalt content, but no apparent simple relationship was found with the bismuth content. The materials also demonstrated excellent reversibility of oxygen adsorption and desorption. Stable time-related oxygen permeation fluxes were found for BaBi0.2CO0.35Fe0.45O3-delta and BaBi0.3Co0.2Fe0.5O3-delta a membranes at 875 degrees C.

Performance of a mixed-conducting ceramic membrane reactor with high oxygen permeability for methane conversion

A mixed-conducting perovskite-type Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-delta (BSCFO) ceramic membrane reactor with high oxygen permeability was applied for the activation of methane. The membrane reactor has intrinsic catalytic activities for methane conversion to ethane and ethylene. C-2 selectivity up to 40-70% was achieved, albeit that conversion rate were low, typically 0.5-3.5% at 800-900 degreesC with a 50% helium diluted methane inlet stream at a flow rate of 34 ml/min. Large amount of unreacted molecular oxygen was detected in the eluted gas and the oxygen permeation flux improved only slightly compared with that under non-reactive air/He experiments. The partial oxidation of methane to syngas in a BSCFO membrane reactor was also performed by packing LiLaNiO/gamma -Al2O3 with 10% Ni loading as the catalyst. At the initial stage, oxygen permeation flux, methane conversion and CO selectivity were closely related with the state of the catalyst. Less than 21 h was needed for the oxygen permeation flux to reach its steady state. 98.5% CH4 conversion, 93.0% CO selectivity and 10.45 ml/cm(2) min oxygen permeation flux were achieved under steady state at 850 degreesC. Methane conversion and oxygen permeation flux increased with increasing temperature, No fracture of the membrane reactor was observed during syngas production. However, H-2-TPR investigation demonstrated that the BSCFO was unstable under reducing atmosphere, yet the material was found to have excellent phase reversibility. A membrane reactor made from BSCFO was successfully operated for the POM reaction at 875 degreesC for more than 500h without failure, with a stable oxygen permeation flux of about 11.5 ml/cm(2) min. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Cluster-assistant generation of multiply charged atomic ions in nanosecond laser ionization of seeded methyl iodide beam

The photoionization of methyl iodide beam seeded in argon and helium is studied by time-of-flight mass spectrometry using a 25 ns, 532 nm Nd-YAG laser with intensities in the range of 2 x 10(10)-2 x 10(11) W/cm(2). Multiply charged ions Of Iq+ (q = 2-3) and C2+ with tens of eV kinetic energies have been observed when laser interacts with the middle part of the pulsed molecular beam, whose peak profiles are independent on the laser polarization directions. Strong evidences show that these ions are coming from the Coulomb explosion of multiply charged CH3I clusters, and laser induced inverse bremsstrahlung absorption of caged electrons plays a key role in the formation of multiply charged ions. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.