Electron microprobe data of hydrothermal sphalerite from submarine vent systems
Experimental studies have shown that temperature, pressure, sulfur fugacity ( fS2), and oxygen fugacity ( fO2) influence the Fe content of sphalerite. We present compositional in situ data on sphalerite from submarine volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) ores of hydrothermal vents from different p...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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Format: | Dataset |
Language: | English |
Published: |
PANGAEA
2020
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.921752 https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.921752 |
Summary: | Experimental studies have shown that temperature, pressure, sulfur fugacity ( fS2), and oxygen fugacity ( fO2) influence the Fe content of sphalerite. We present compositional in situ data on sphalerite from submarine volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) ores of hydrothermal vents from different plate tectonic settings and with variable host-rock compositions. Sphalerite from sediment-hosted vents has systematically higher S contents and Fe/Zn ratios than those of the sediment-starved vents, reflecting an influence of fS2 and fO2 on Fe partitioning between fluid and sphalerite. The Fe/Zn ratios of sphalerite from sediment-starved vent systems apparently increase systematically with the fluid temperatures of the corresponding vents. We conclude that the composition of sphalerite can be used to (1) distinguish between sediment-hosted and sediment-starved hydrothermal processes, and (2) estimate minimum fluid temperatures of sphalerite precipitation from inactive sediment-starved hydrothermal vent sites and fossil VHMS deposits. |
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