Fluid Mixing and Spatial Geochemical Variability in the Lost City Hydrothermal Field Chimneys
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Abstract
Carbonate‐brucite chimneys are a characteristic of low‐ to moderate‐temperature, ultramafic‐hosted alkaline hydrothermal systems, such as the Lost City hydrothermal field located on the Atlantis Massif at 30°N near the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. These chimneys form as a result of mixing between warm, serpentinization‐derived vent fluids and cold seawater. Previous work has documented the evolution in mineralogy and geochemistry associated with the aging of the chimneys as hydrothermal activity wanes. However, little is known about spatial heterogeneities within and among actively venting chimneys. New mineralogical and geochemical data ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and stable C, O, and clumped isotopes) indicate that the brucite and calcite precipitate at elevated temperatures in vent fluid‐dominated domains in the interior of chimneys. Exterior zones dominated by seawater are brucite‐poor and aragonite is the main carbonate mineral. Carbonates record mostly out of equilibrium oxygen and clumped isotope signatures due to rapid precipitation upon vent fluid‐seawater mixing. On the other hand, the carbonates precipitate closer to carbon isotope equilibrium, with dissolved inorganic carbon in seawater as the dominant carbon source and have δ 13 C values within the range of marine carbonates. Our data suggest that calcite is a primary mineral in the active hydrothermal chimneys and does not exclusively form as a replacement of aragonite during later alteration with seawater. Elevated formation temperatures and lower 87 Sr/ 86 Sr relative to aragonite in the same sample suggest that calcite may be the first carbonate mineral to precipitate.
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Cites
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BackgroundInfluential
Flagged first, then by citations
- Authors
- Aquino, K. A., Früh‐Green, G. L., Bernasconi, S. M., Rickli, J., Lang, S. Q., & Lilley, M. D.
- Affiliations
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Aquino, Karmina A.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 2024-02
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 2
- ISSN
- 1525-2027 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4391787904
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1
- FWCI
- 1.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Open Access Server of the Woods Hole Scientific Community (Woods Hole Scientific Community) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- NOAA Institutional Repository (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- ETH Zürich Research Collection
- Greater South Information System
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (OCE‐1536702/1536405/1535962)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Keywords
- Lost City hydrothermal field, hydrothermal chimneys, carbonate mineralogy, brucite, calcite, aragonite, serpentinization, alkaline hydrothermal systems, ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems, Atlantis Massif, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, clumped isotopes, oxygen isotopes, carbon isotopes, strontium isotopes, carbonate precipitation
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