Characteristics, distribution and implication of hydrothermal minerals in Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field, Carlsberg Ridge, northwest Indian Ocean

CAI Yiyang; HAN Xiqiu; QIU Zhongyan; WANG Yejian; LI Mou; Samuel Olatunde Popoola

doi:10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2019101201

2020 Vol. 40, No. 5

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CAI Yiyang, HAN Xiqiu, QIU Zhongyan, WANG Yejian, LI Mou, Samuel Olatunde Popoola. Characteristics, distribution and implication of hydrothermal minerals in Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field, Carlsberg Ridge, northwest Indian Ocean[J]. Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology, 2020, 40(5): 36-45. doi: 10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2019101201

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CAI Yiyang, HAN Xiqiu, QIU Zhongyan, WANG Yejian, LI Mou, Samuel Olatunde Popoola. Characteristics, distribution and implication of hydrothermal minerals in Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field, Carlsberg Ridge, northwest Indian Ocean[J]. Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology, 2020, 40(5): 36-45. doi: 10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2019101201

Characteristics, distribution and implication of hydrothermal minerals in Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field, Carlsberg Ridge, northwest Indian Ocean

1.
Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences & Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, China
2.
School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
3.
Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China

More Information

Corresponding author: HAN Xiqiu, xqhan@sio.org.cn

Received Date: 12 October 2019

Revised Date: 27 November 2019

Publish Date: 25 October 2020

Abstract

Abstract

Hydrothermal minerals could originate from mass wasting of hydrothermal deposits or from the hydrothermal plume falling-out. The types and their spatial distribution of hydrothermal minerals are important indicators for constraining the location of hydrothermal field. The Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field (3°41′N,63°50′E) is an ultramafic-hosted field located on the Carlsberg Ridge, northwest Indian Ocean. In this paper, surface sediments collected from 4 stations near the active venting site of Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field and its surrounding regions were studied on hydrothermal minerals to understand their spatial variations on morphology, composition, abundance and particle size. Near the venting site (0 ~ 0.22 km) the hydrothermal minerals are dominated by Cu-Zn-Fe containing sulfide aggregates, in the size from gravel to sand, originated from the mass wasting of the sulfide deposits and precipitation from the hydrothermal fluid. For samples collected outside of the hydrothermal field (1.84 ~ 6.05 km away), the hydrothermal minerals are dominated by fine grain hydrothermal oxides and hydroxides derived from plume fallout. Our results suggest that the types and grain size of hydrothermal minerals and their spatial distribution can be served as a good indicator for tracking unknown active and inactive hydrothermal field and prospecting of the associated hydrothermal sulfide resources.
- surface sediments /
- hydrothermal minerals /
- Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field /
- Carlsberg Ridge /
- Indian Ocean

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