Composition of hydrothermal massive sulfide deposits from ODP Site 158-957 and Leg 169 sites

Sulfide mineral major and trace element analyses were performed on more than 50 polished slabs representing mineralization from three seafloor hydrothermal massive sulfide deposits. Samples from the Bent Hill and ODP Mound massive sulfide deposits, both on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, can be contrasted with samples from the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) hydrothermal mound on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The massive sulfide at Bent Hill is predominantly pyrite and pyrrhotite, with increasing amounts of copper-bearing sulfide minerals at the base of the massive sulfide body and through the stockwork to an interval 200 m below seafloor that hosts high copper mineralization (Deep Copper Zone). ODP Mound contains much more abundant sphalerite and copper-bearing sulfides as compared to either Bent Hill or TAG, which are predominantly pyrite with much less abundant chalcopyrite. Copper-bearing sulfides from the Deep Copper Zone beneath Bent Hill and the lowest sampled interval of ODP Mound are petrographically and chemically similar, but distinct from copper-bearing minerals higher in either sequence.

Gênese dos corpos de sulfeto maciço hidrotermal e platinóides associados no depósito de Fortaleza de Minas (MG)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

东天山红山高硫型浅成低温铜-金矿床氧化带的形成机理和硫酸盐矿物的系列发现及意义

Located in the Paleozoic uplift along the southern margin of Tu-Ha basin in eastern Xinjiang, the newly discovered Hongshan Cu-Au deposit occurs in the superimposed Mesozoic volcanic basin upon the north section of later Paleozoic Dananhu-Tousuquan accretionary arc. Kalatage Cu-Au orebelt is controlled by NWW-trend faults, and includes Hongshan and Meiling Cu-Au deposits. The host rocks of Hongshan ore district are mainly rhyolitic-dacitic ignimbrites, whereas Cu-Au mineralization is closely related to quartz porphyry, rhyolitic porphyry and granitic porphyry. Mineralization styles are dominantly veinlet-disseminated and veinlet, occasionally stockwork. The mineral association is chalcopyrite, pyrite, bornite, chalcocite and sphalerite. The hydrothermal alteration consists of silicfication, sericitization, alunitization, pyrophylitization, illitization, hydromuscovitization, and chloritization. Hongshan Cu-Au deposit, on the edge of the desert, is one of the driest areas in eastrn Tianshan. Moreover， the highest temperature has been up to 60℃, and the average rainfall receives only 34.1mm/y. The light rainfall and rapid evaporation in the vicinity of this deposit have allowed the formation of a great variety of water-soluble sulfates. Oxidization zone of this deposit lies on the upper part of primary sulfide orebodies appearing with a depth of 50-60m, which is dominant in sulfate minerals. 1. Based on the field observation, the volcanic and sub-volcanic rock composition, hydrothermal alteration, ore structure and mineralization characteristics, this paper proposed that the Hongshan Cu-Au deposit belongs to a transitional type from high-sulfide epithermal to porphyry Cu-Au deposit, which corresponds with the typical HS-epithermal deposit such as Zijinshan Au-Cu deposit in Fujian Province, SE-China. 2. The Hongshan copper-gold deposit was controlled by the tectonic, stratum, magma activity and volcanic apparatus, whereas Au mineralization is closely related to quartz porphyry, rhyolitic porphyry and fine grained pyritization in hydrothermal activity, and Cu mineralization is closely related to quartz porphyry and hydrothermal explosive breccia. 3. Oxidation zone of Hongshan Cu-Au deposit lies on the upper part of primary sulfide orebodies deposit. 23 sulfate minerals were identified in this work. The results of samples XRD and chemical analysis were furthermore confirmed through thermal, infrared spectrum and mössbauer spectrum analysis. Among those, nine minerals as Ferricopiapite, Cuprocopiapite, Rhomboclase, Parabutlerite, Krausite, Yavapaiite, Metasideronatrite Kroehnkite and Paracoquimbite were founded in China for the first time. And Paracoquimbite was secondly reported in the world (first case reported at 1938 in Chile). 4. EPMA analysis shows that Al impurity in crystal lattice is important to polytype formation of paracoquimbite and coquimbite besides stack fault. 5. Compared with Meiling Cu-Au deposit in the same Kalatage ore belt from the characteristics of δ34S of barite, lithofacies, hydrothermal alteration and homogeneous temperature, Hongshan Cu-Au deposit belongs to the same metallogenic system of HS-epithermal type as Meiling Cu-Au deposit. But Hongshan Cu-Au deposit has less extensive alteration and shallower denudation. 6. Sulfur isotope analyses show that δ34S values of pyrites vary in the range of +1.86‰~+5.69‰, with an average of 3.70‰, mostly in the range of +1.86‰~+3.20‰, and δ34Scp<δ34Spy. Therefore ore-forming fluid of porphyry comes from mantle and was contaminated by the earth’s crust. Sulfur isotope has reached balance in ore-forming process. 7. Sulfur isotope analyses show that δ34S values of sulfates vary in the range of +2.15‰~+6.73‰, with an average of +3.74‰, mostly equals as δ34S values of primary sulfides in Hongshan Cu-Au deposit. So supergene sulfates inherit sulfur of primary sulfide. δ34S values are mostly same in different sulfates. As well as pyrite and chalcopyrite, volcanic hot spring and associated native sulfur underground also provide water medium and sulfur during the formation process of sulfate. 8. According to the EPMA of sample chalcopyrite and pyrite in Hongshan Cu-Au, the value of Cu/Ni is 0.98-34.72, mostly close to the value of 5, which shows that Hongshan deposit is a typical volcanogenic magmaic hypothermal deposit. Au and Ag, Zn, Te and Bi are positive correlation, Cu and Hg, Se, Sb are positive correlation, indicates Au and Cu don’t locate in the factor of mineralization of same mineralization groups. The reasons of gold concentration in the oxidation zone are: 1). Change of redox potential (Eh) makes gold to deposit from the liquid of mineralization zone; 2). PH is one of the most factors of gold’s deposition; 3). Soluble complex and colloid of gold can be adsorbed easily. 9. The biotite and hornblende K-Ar isotopic ages from the wall rock－quartz diorite, biotite granite and monzonite granite are 231.99±3.45Ma, 237.97±2.36Ma and 296.53±6.69Ma respectively. The ore-bearing rhyolitic breccia lava contains breccia of the biotite granite which indicates the volcanism and related Cu-Au mineralization occurred later than the granite, possibly in Mesozoic. K-Ar ages of granitoids in Sanya, Baishiquan and Hongliugou area and Molybdenite Re-Os age of Baishan Mo deposit all are in Triassic. Besides late Paleozoic magmatism, igneous magmatic event of Mesozoic was widespread in eastern Tianshan. 10. The K-Ar age dating indicates that the K-Ar age of Voltaite occurred below surface 1m is 56.02±3.98Ma, K-Ar age of Ferricopiapite occurred below surface 1.5m is 8.62±1.12Ma, K-Ar age of Yavapaiite occurred below surface 14 m is 4.07±0.39Ma, and K-Ar age of Voltaite occurred below surface 10 m is 14.73±1.73Ma. So the age interval of oxidation zone of Hongshan copper-golden bed is between 60 -3.38Ma. Oxidization occurred at Caenozoic era (from 65Ma), which can be identified through comparing with different deposits oxidation zone in other countries. The coupling between global tectonic event and climatic change event which occur from Caenozoic era has some effect on epigeosphere system, which can act on the surface of bed oxidation zone similarly. It induces that the age mentioned above coincide with collision of India-Asia and multistage uplifting of Qinhai-Tibet Plateau happened subsequently. Bed oxidation zone is the effect and record of collision and uplifting of Tibet Plateau. The strong chemical weathering of surface accumulation to which was leaded by PETM event occurred Paleocene and Eocene is the reason of Voltaite sharply rises. On the contrary, Ferricopiapite formed due to the global cold weather. The predecessor did much research through biota, isotopes, susceptibility, but this paper try to use different sulfate mineral instead of climatic change. So the research of sulfate minerals not only indicates a great deal of oxidized zone feature, but also the intergrowth of sulfate minerals may be used to trace paleoenviroment and paleoclimate of oxidation zone. 11. Analysis of the information of alteration and mineralization features of four bore cores, induced activity polarization well logging and Eh-4 geophysical section, deep mineralization anomaly objects of Hongshan ore districts shows low resistance, middle and high polarization, measurements of Eh-4 consecutive conductance section show the existing of concealed porphyry ore body deeper than 450m, on the top of and around rock body there are low resistance body ranged from 100-300Ω•m, this area may be the ore-bearing part. In a word, Hongshan Cu-Au deposit deposit is a combine of upper HS-style epithermal Au deposit and deeper porphyry mineralization system. It has great potential to find large HS-style epithermal-porphyry Au-Cu deposits. This paper consists of seven chapters and twenty seven sections. The geological character of deposit is basic condition in this work. Constitute of oxidation zone, research of sulfate mineral, relation between oxidation and primary zone, K-Ar ages of potassic sulfate are key parts of thesis. Genesis of ore deposit is the further expansion of this research. Analysis of ore-controlling factors is the penetration above basic. Analysis of potential is application of exploration.

Minerals, native metals, and intermetallides in bottom sediments of the Markov Deep, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Bottom sediments of the Markov Deep contain rather large (>0.1 mm) grains of native minerals and intermetallides of noble and nonferrous metals that can be concentrated in placers. Intermetallides of Pt and Fe are likely to be derivates of the gold-hematite-barite assemblage that forms at late (low-depth) stages of hydrothermal massive sulfide formation. Mineral association of native forms of lead, tin, and copper with Zn-bearing copper may be related to hydrothermal transformation of ultrabasic and basic rocks accompanied by massive sulfide copper mineralization. The association of these minerals of native elements in bottom sediments can also serve as a prospecting guide for sulfide mineralization both at the Sierra Leone site, in particular, and on the seafloor, in general.

Chemical and mineral compositions of bottom sediments from the East Pacific Rise near 13°N

During underwater photography and sampling of the rift valley bottom in the axial part of the East Pacific Rise, where water transparency is reduced due to hydrothermal input, ore manifestations have been found. The bottom is covered by them as by a jacket on both sides from the EPR axial zone. However, exposed pillow-lavas and clumpy blocks in rift ledges are covered by a thin metal-bearing film. It is supposed that sedimentation results mainly from hydrothermal input of dissolved chemical elements in seawater, their transformation on the geochemical barrier, and subsequent deposition as particulates. Contents of ore components in metalliferous sediments have been measured by atomic-absorption and X-ray radiometry methods. Sediment age has been determined as Middle Pleistocene - Holocene. Maximal hydrothermal activity was at the beginning of Early Holocene, about 10 Ka. A smoker has been found on the western slope of the rift valley.

Radiocarbon ages of bottom sediments and sedimentation rates in depressions of the Red Sea rift zone

Sedimentation rates (SR) for metalliferous and ore sediments containing ore material in 15 depressions of the Red Sea rift zone are discussed. SR for normal sediments was ca. 3.2 cm/ka in the second half of Holocene, 14.3 cm/ka yrs in the first half of Holocene, and 21.3 cm/ka in Late Würmian. Accumulation of metalliferous and ore sediments requires considerable accumulation of hydrothermal matter. Ore sediments have been found primarily in the Atlantis II and Chain Deeps; average sedimentation rate in these depressions is 90.0 cm/ka. In other depressions geothermal activity during considered time intervals was lower, and ore material occurs as admixture or in layers.

A new period of volcanogenic massive sulfide formation in the Yilgarn: A volcanological study of the ca 2.76 Ga Hollandaire VMS deposit, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

The Archean Hollandaire volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit is a felsic–siliciclastic VMS deposit located in the Murchison Domain of the Youanmi Terrane, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. It is hosted in a succession of turbidites, mudstones and coherent rhyodacite sills and has been metamorphosed to upper greenschist/lower amphibolite facies and includes a pervasive S1 deformational fabric. The coherent rhyodacitic sills are interpreted as syndepositional based on geochemical similarities with well-known VMS-associated felsic rocks and similar foliations to the metasediments. We offer several explanations for the absence of textural evidence (e.g. breccias) for syn-depositional origins: 1) the subaqueous sediments were dehydrated by long-lived magmatism such that no pore-water remained to drive quench fragmentation; 2) pore-space occlusion by burial and/or, 3) alteration overprinting and obscuring of primary breccias at contact margins. Mineralisation occurs by sub-seafloor replacement of original host rocks in two ore bodies, Hollandaire Main (~125 x >500 m and ~8 m thick) and Hollandaire West (~100 x 470 m and ~5 m thick), and occurs in three main textural styles, massive sulfides, which are exclusively hosted in turbidites and mudstones, and stringer and disseminated sulfides, which are also hosted in coherent rhyodacite. Most sulfides have textures consistent with remobilisation and recrystallisation. Hydrothermal metamorphism has altered the hangingwall and footwall to similar degrees, with significant gains in Mg, Mn and K and losses in Na, Ca and Sr. Garnet and staurolite porphyryoblasts also exhibit a footprint around mineralisation, extending up to 30 m both above and below the ore zone. High precision thermal ionisation mass spectrometry of zircons extracted from the coherent rhyodacite yield an age of 2759.5 ± 0.9 Ma, which along with geochemical comparisons, places the succession within the 2760–2735 Ma Greensleeves Formation of the Polelle Group of the Murchison Supergroup. Geochemical and geochronological evidence link the coherent rhyodacite sills to the Peter Well Granodiorite pluton ~2 km to the W, which acted as the heat engine driving hydrothermal circulation during VMS mineralisation. This study highlights the importance of both: detailed physical volcanological studies from which an accurate assessment of timing relationships, particularly the possibility of intrusions dismembering ore horizons, can be made; and identifying synvolcanic plutons and other similar suites, for VMS exploration targets in the Youanmi Terrane and worldwide.

Multiple sulfur isotope analyses support a magmatic model for the volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of the Teutonic Bore volcanic complex, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

We report sensitive high mass resolution ion microprobe, stable isotopes (SHRIMP SI) multiple sulfur isotope analyses (32S, 33S, 34S) to constrain the sources of sulfur in three Archean VMS deposits—Teutonic Bore, Bentley, and Jaguar—from the Teutonic Bore volcanic complex of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, together with sedimentary pyrites from associated black shales and interpillow pyrites. The pyrites from VMS mineralization are dominated by mantle sulfur but include a small amount of slightly negative mass-independent fractionation (MIF) anomalies, whereas sulfur from the pyrites in the sedimentary rocks has pronounced positive MIF, with ∆33S values that lie between 0.19 and 6.20‰ (with one outlier at −1.62‰). The wall rocks to the mineralization include sedimentary rocks that have contributed no detectable positive MIF sulfur to the VMS deposits, which is difficult to reconcile with the leaching model for the formation of these deposits. The sulfur isotope data are best explained by mixing between sulfur derived from a magmatic-hydrothermal fluid and seawater sulfur as represented by the interpillow pyrites. The massive sulfide lens pyrites have a weighted mean ∆33S value of −0.27 ± 0.05‰ (MSWD = 1.6) nearly identical with −0.31 ± 0.08‰ (MSWD = 2.4) for pyrites from the stringer zone, which requires mixing to have occurred below the sea floor. We employed a two-component mixing model to estimate the contribution of seawater sulfur to the total sulfur budget of the two Teutonic Bore volcanic complex VMS deposits. The results are 15 to 18% for both Teutonic Bore and Bentley, much higher than the 3% obtained by Jamieson et al. (2013) for the giant Kidd Creek deposit. Similar calculations, carried out for other Neoarchean VMS deposits give value between 2% and 30%, which are similar to modern hydrothermal VMS deposits. We suggest that multiple sulfur isotope analyses may be used to predict the size of Archean VMS deposits and to provide a vector to ore deposit but further studies are needed to test these suggestions.

Helium, neon and argon isotope compositions of fluid inclusions in massive sulfides from the Jade hydrothermal field, the Oldnawa Trough

Helium, neon and argon isotope compositions of fluid inclusions have been measured in massive sulfide samples from the Jade hydrothermal field in the central Okinawa Trough. Fluid-inclusion He-3/He-4 ratios are between 6.2 and 10.1 times the air value (Ra), and with a mean of 7.8Ra, which are consistent with the mid-ocean ridge basalt values [He-3/He-4 approximate to (6Rasimilar to 11Ra)]. Values for Ne-20/Ne-22 are from 10.7 to 11.3, which are significantly higher than the atmospheric ratio (9.8). And the fluid-inclusion Ar-40/Ar-36 ratios range from 287 to 334, which are close to the atmosperic values (295.5). These results indicate that the noble gases of trapped hydrothermal fluids in massive sulfides are a mixture of mantle- and seawater-derived components, and the helium of fluid inclusions is mainly from mantle, the nelium and argon isotope compositions are mainly from seawater.

A biological survey method applied to seafloor massive sulphides (SMS) with contagiously distributed hydrothermal-vent fauna

Strategies for mitigation of seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) extraction in the deep sea include establishment of suitable reference sites that allow for studies of natural environmental variability and that can serve as sources of larvae for re-colonisation of extracted hydrothermal fields. In this study, we characterize deep-sea vent communities in Manus Basin (Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea) and use macrofaunal data sets from a proposed reference site (South Su) and a proposed mine site (Solwara 1) to test the hypothesis that there was no difference in macrofaunal community structure between the sites. We used dispersion weighting to adjust taxa-abundance matrices to down-weight the contribution of contagious distributions of numerically abundant taxa. Faunal assemblages of 3 habitat types defined by biogenic taxa (2 provannid snails, Alviniconcha spp. and Ifremeria nautilei; and a sessile barnacle, Eochionelasmus ohtai) were distinct from one another and from the vent peripheral assemblage, but were not differentiable from mound-to-mound within a site or between sites. Mussel and tubeworm populations at South Su but not at Solwara 1 enhance the taxonomic and habitat diversity of the proposed reference site. © Inter-Research 2012.

The Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide ores of the komatiite-hosted Fortaleza de Minas deposit, Brazil: Evidence of hydrothermal remobilization

The Fortaleza de Minas Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide deposit is hosted by Archean komatiitic rocks of the Morro do Ferro greenstone belt, near the southwestern margin of the Sa (aFrancisco) over tildeo Francisco craton, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The deposit contains 6 million tonnes of ore with an average grade of 2.2 wt% Ni, 0.4% Cu, 0.05% Co and 1.2 ppm PGE+Au, and comprises (i) a main orebody, which is metamorphosed, deformed and transposed along a regional shear zone, consisting mainly of disseminated, brecciated and stringer sulfide ores that are interpreted to be of early magmatic origin, and (ii) PGE-rich discordant veins that are hosted in N-S- and NE-SW-trending late faults that cross-cut the main orebody. The discordant PGE-rich ore (up to 4 ppm total PGE) is characterized by thin, discontinuous and irregular veins and lenses of massive sulfides hosted by serpentinite and talc schist, and is relatively undeformed if compared with the early types of ore. It is composed mainly of pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite, magnetite, carbonates, and amphiboles, with minor cobaltite-gersdorffite, sphalerite, ilmenite, and quartz, and rarely maucherite (Ni11Asg), tellurides and platinum-group minerals (PGM). Omeeite, irarsite, sperrylite, and Ni-bearing merenskyite are the main PGM, followed by minor amounts of testibiopalladite and an unknown phase containing Ru, Te, and As. The PGM occur either included in, or at the margins of, sulfides, sulfarsenides, silicates and oxides, or filling fractures in pyrrhotite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite, suggesting that they started to precipitate with these minerals and continued to precipitate after the sulfides were formed. The mantle-normalized metal distribution of the two samples of discordant veins shows distinct patterns: one richer in Ni-Pd-Ir-Rh-Ru-Os and another with higher amounts of Cu-Pt-Bi. Both are strongly depleted in Cr if compared with the metamorphosed magmatic ore of this deposit, which follows the general Kambalda-type magmatic trend. on the basis of structural, mineralogical and geochemical evidence, we propose that the PGE-rich discordant ore may have formed by remobilization of metals from the deformed, metamorphosed magmatic orebody (which shows a depleted pattern in these elements) by reduced (pyrrhotite - pentlandite - pyrite are stable), neutral to alkaline and carbonic fluids (carbonate-stable). The PGE may have been transported as bisulfide complexes, and precipitated as tellurides (mainly Pd) and arsenides (Pt, Rh, Ru, Os, Ir) in the late N-S and NE-SW-trending faults owing to a decrease in the activity of S caused by the precipitation of sulfides in the veins.