Phase equilibria constraints on the chemistry of hot spring fluids at mid-ocean ridges

Journal Article · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(91)90056-B· OSTI ID:5077690

Seyfried, Jr, W E; Ding, K; Berndt, M E ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis (United States)

Recent advances in experimental and theoretical geochemistry have made it possible to assess both homogeneous and heterogeneous equilibria involving a wide range of aqueous species at temperatures and pressures appropriate to model hydrothermal alteration processes at mid-ocean ridges. The authors have combined selected aspects of the chemistry of hot spring fluids with constraints imposed by a geologically reasonable assemblage of minerals in the system Na{sub 2}O-K{sub 2}O-CaO-MgO-FeO-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-SiO{sub 2}-H{sub 2}O-HCl-H{sub 2}S to assess the effect of temperature on the composition of the aqueous phase and the activities of mineral components in plagioclase and epidote solid solutions. Assuming fO{sub 2(g)} and fS{sub 2(g)} controlled by pyrite-pyrrhotite-magnetite equilibria, a constant dissolved Ca concentration, and a dissolved Cl concentration equivalent to that of seawater, increasing temperature from 250 to 400C at 500 bars results in systematic changes in the composition of mineral phases, which in turn constrain pH and the distribution of aqueous species. The model predicts that dissolved concentrations of Fe, SiO{sub 2}, K, H{sub 2}S, and H{sub 2} increase, while Na and pH{sub (25C)} decrease with increasing temperature. That many hot springs vent fluids are characterized by variable degrees of conductive heat loss renders measured temperatures unreliable as indicators of the maximum temperature of subseafloor hydrothermal alteration processes. The implications of this are significant for hot spring fluids which reveal large Cl variations relative to seawater, since likely mechanisms to account for such variability typically require temperatures in excess of those inferred for subseafloor reaction zones by simply correcting measured temperatures for the effects of adiabatic cooling.

• OSTI ID: 5077690
• Journal Information: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States), Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States) Vol. 55:12; ISSN GCACA; ISSN 0016-7037
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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