Unraveling the sequence of serpentinization reactions: petrography, mineral chemistry, and petrophysics of serpentinites from MAR 15°N (ODP Leg 209, Site 1274)
Open accessAbstract
The results of detailed textural, mineral chemical, and petrophysical studies shed new light on the poorly constrained fluid‐rock reaction pathways during retrograde serpentinization at mid‐ocean ridges. Uniformly depleted harzburgites and dunites from the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge at 15°N show variable extents of static serpentinization. They reveal a simple sequence of reactions: serpentinization of olivine and development of a typical mesh texture with serpentine‐brucite mesh rims, followed by replacement of olivine mesh centers by serpentine and brucite. The serpentine mesh rims on relic olivine are devoid of magnetite. Conversely, domains in the rock that are completely serpentinized show abundant magnetite. We propose that low‐fluid‐flux serpentinization of olivine to serpentine and ferroan brucite is followed by later stages of serpentinization under more open‐system conditions and formation of magnetite by the breakdown of ferroan brucite. Modeling of this sequence of reactions can account for covariations in magnetic susceptibility and grain density of the rocks.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The H2 in hydrothermal vents comes from serpentinization.
“The H2 in hydrothermal vents comes from a geochemical process called serpentinization [21–25].”
From Early bioenergetic evolution (2013) · cites this paper as [21]
Serpentinization occurs because suboceanic crust consists of iron-magnesium silicates such as olivine with Fe2+, and seawater at high pressure and around 150°C oxidizes Fe2+ to Fe3+ while water is reduced to H2.
“Serpentinization takes place because most of the suboceanic crust consists of iron–magnesium silicates like olivine, in which the redox state of the iron is Fe2+. Seawater penetrates the ocean floor crust, reaching depths on the order of 3–5 km below the surface. There at high pressure and temperatures of around 150°C, water oxidizes the Fe2+ to Fe3+, the water being reduced to H2 with the oxygen”
From Early bioenergetic evolution (2013) · cites this paper as [21]
Cites
A Serpentinite-Hosted Ecosystem: The Lost City Hydrothermal Field
Kelley, D. S., Karson, J. A., Früh-Green, G. L., Yoerger, D. R., Shank, T. M., Butterfield, D. A., Hayes, J. M., Schrenk, M. O., Olson, E. J., Proskurowski, G., et al. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1102556 · Cited by 1,288 · see citing works
An off-axis hydrothermal vent field near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 30° N
Party, T. A.-6. S., Kelley, D. S., Karson, J. A., Blackman, D. K., Früh-Green, G. L., Butterfield, D. A., Lilley, M. D., Olson, E. J., Schrenk, M. O., Roe, K. K., et al. (2001) · Nature · doi:10.1038/35084000 · Cited by 1,168 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Hydrothermal vents and the origin of life
Martin, W., Baross, J., Kelley, D., & Russell, M. J. (2008) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro1991 · Cited by 1,608 · see citing works
On the origin of biochemistry at an alkaline hydrothermal vent
Martin, W., & Russell, M. J. (2007) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1881 · Cited by 771 · see citing works
Serpentinization as a source of energy at the origin of life
RUSSELL, M. J., HALL, A. J., & MARTIN, W. (2010) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1472-4669.2010.00249.x · Cited by 527 · see citing works
Canfield, D. E., Rosing, M. T., & Bjerrum, C. (2006) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1906 · Cited by 417 · see citing works
How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life
Lane, N., Allen, J. F., & Martin, W. (2010) · BioEssays · doi:10.1002/bies.200900131 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
The Origin of Life in Alkaline Hydrothermal Vents
Sojo, V., Herschy, B., Whicher, A., Camprubí, E., & Lane, N. (2016) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1406 · Cited by 341 · see citing works
Sousa, F. L., Thiergart, T., Landan, G., Nelson-Sathi, S., Pereira, I. A. C., Allen, J. F., Lane, N., & Martin, W. F. (2013) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0088 · Cited by 286 · see citing works
“[21] write the serpentinization reaction as in equation (2.”
BackgroundSerpentinites, Hydrogen, and Life
McCollom, T. M., & Seewald, J. S. (2013) · Elements · doi:10.2113/gselements.9.2.129 · Cited by 230 · see citing works
An origin-of-life reactor to simulate alkaline hydrothermal vents
Herschy, B., Whicher, A., Camprubi, E., Watson, C., Dartnell, L., Ward, J., Evans, J. R. G., & Lane, N. (2014) · Journal of Molecular Evolution · doi:10.1007/s00239-014-9658-4 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Older than genes: the acetyl CoA pathway and origins
Martin, W. F. (2020) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.00817 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Martin, W. F. (2012) · FEBS Letters · doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2011.09.031 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Streit, E., Kelemen, P., & Eiler, J. (2012) · Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology · doi:10.1007/s00410-012-0775-z · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Sulfur-33 constraints on the origin of secondary pyrite in altered oceanic basement
Ono, S., Keller, N. S., Rouxel, O., & Alt, J. C. (2012) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2012.04.016 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Abiotic Production of Methane in Terrestrial Planets
Guzmán-Marmolejo, A., Segura, A., & Escobar-Briones, E. (2013) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2012.0817 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Ebisuzaki, T., & Maruyama, S. (2017) · Geoscience Frontiers · doi:10.1016/j.gsf.2016.09.005 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Holm, N. G., Dumont, M., Ivarsson, M., & Konn, C. (2006) · Geochemical Transactions · doi:10.1186/1467-4866-7-7 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Schwander, L., Brabender, M., Mrnjavac, N., Wimmer, J. L. E., Preiner, M., & Martin, W. F. (2023) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
“During the reaction, Fe 2+ in olivine is oxidized by water to Fe 3+ , generating iron oxides in serpentinite and magnetite, Fe 3 O 4 , as well as H 2 , diffusible reductant (Sleep et al., 2004; Bach et al., 2006; Lang et al., 2010).”
BackgroundSerpentinization as a route to liberating phosphorus on habitable worlds
Pasek, M. A., Omran, A., Feng, T., Gull, M., Lang, C., Abbatiello, J., Garong, L., Johnston, R., Ryan, J., & Abbott-Lyon, H. (2022) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2022.09.027 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Bioenergetic constraints on the origin of autotrophic metabolism
Boyd, E. S., Amenabar, M. J., Poudel, S., & Templeton, A. S. (2020) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences · doi:10.1098/rsta.2019.0151 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Nothaft, D. B., Templeton, A. S., Rhim, J. H., Wang, D. T., Labidi, J., Miller, H. M., Boyd, E. S., Matter, J. M., Ono, S., Young, E. D., et al. (2021) · Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences · doi:10.1029/2020jg006025 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
- Authors
- Bach, W., Paulick, H., Garrido, C. J., Ildefonse, B., Meurer, W. P., & Humphris, S. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Bremen (DE)
- University of Bonn (DE)
- Universidad de Granada (ES)
- Laboratoire de Tectonophysique, ISTEEM (CNRS‐UM2) Université Montpellier II Montpellier France
- Department of Geosciences University of Houston Houston Texas USA
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
- Venue
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 2006-07
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 13
- ISSN
- 0094-8276 (ISSN-L)
- 1944-8007
- OpenAlex
- W1981842071
- Cited by
- 426
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 24.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Geophysical Research Letters (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Open Access Server of the Woods Hole Scientific Community (Woods Hole Scientific Community) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- United States Science Support Program
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geology › Geological and Geophysical Studies
- Keywords
- serpentinization, serpentinized harzburgite, dunite, brucite, magnetite formation, fluid-rock interaction, mid-ocean ridge, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, magnetic susceptibility, grain density
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
