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Investigation of the Internal Structure of a Modern Seafloor Hydrothermal Chimney With a Combination of EBSD, EPMA, and XRD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2020

Matthew Glenn ,
Siyu Hu ,
Stephen Barnes ,
Aaron Torpy ,
Anthony E. Hughes ,
Colin M. MacRae Open the ORCID record for Colin M. MacRae [Opens in a new window] ,
Nathan A.S. Webster ,
Nicholas C. Wilson Open the ORCID record for Nicholas C. Wilson [Opens in a new window] ,
Joanna Parr  and
Ray Binns
Matthew Glenn*
Affiliation:
Microbeam Laboratory, CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Siyu Hu
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, Kensington, WA, Australia
Stephen Barnes
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, Kensington, WA, Australia
Aaron Torpy
Affiliation:
Microbeam Laboratory, CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Anthony E. Hughes
Affiliation:
Microbeam Laboratory, CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Colin M. MacRae
Affiliation:
Microbeam Laboratory, CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Nathan A.S. Webster
Affiliation:
Microbeam Laboratory, CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Nicholas C. Wilson
Affiliation:
Microbeam Laboratory, CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Joanna Parr
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
Ray Binns
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
*
*Author for correspondence: A.M. Glenn, E-mail: matthew.glenn@csiro.au
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Abstract

Samples from the sphalerite-dominated zone of a seafloor massive sulfide chimney, the Satanic Mills Chimney of the PACMANUS hydrothermal field, have been investigated to determine the internal macrostructure and microstructure of this zone, the phases present, and the distribution of metals. A combination of electron probe microanalysis, electron backscattered diffraction, and x-ray diffraction has been used. At the macroscale, this zone of the chimney wall is heavily porous and is comprised primarily of sphalerite, enclosing minor chalcopyrite, pyrite, and wurtzite. A Pb–As sulfosalt layer of possible microbial origins is present at the outer edge of the sphalerite matrix, next to a pore. The sphalerite has grown in globules on the order of 300 μm in diameter. At the microscale, the sphalerite features a colloform texture and a duplex-type grain structure consisting of either fine-grain regions in the center surrounded by coarse-grained regions or radiating coarse grains only. Pb- and As-rich bands have been detected in the colloform sphalerite, and growth twins have been observed in both the sphalerite and chalcopyrite crystals. A qualitative description of the growth of a typical globule is given, including nucleation, crystal growth, and solute redistribution.

Keywords

black smokercrystal structureEBSDEPMAhydrothermal ventsphaleritewurtziteXRD
Type
Australian Microbeam Analysis Society Special Section AMAS XV 2019
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 26 , Issue 4 , August 2020 , pp. 793 - 807
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Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2020

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