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Sulfide Deposits on the Sea Floor: Geological Models and Resource Perspectives Based on Studies in Ophiolite Sequences

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Book cover Marine Minerals

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIC,volume 194))

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Abstract

Fossil hydrothermal systems exposed in ophiolites include subsea-floor feeder-zone mineralization in volcanic rocks, diabase, and high-level gabbro, massive sulfide deposited by fluids discharging at the sea-floor/seawater interface, and peripheral Fe- and Mn-oxide facies deposited on the surrounding sea floor. The stratigraphic and structural position of Cyprus-type massive sulfide deposits in ophiolitic volcanic sequences indicate that hydrothermal activity was focused along ridge-parallel faults either in the axial graben or on the ridge flanks, and in seamounts on or near the paleoridge axis. Paleotransform faults were less favorable tectonic settings for sulfide mineralization. Recent geochemical and stratigraphic studies indicate that most Tethyan and Cordilleran ophiolites formed in marginal basins or in suprasubduction settings; relatively few well-studied ophiolites appear to represent oceanic crust generated at mid-ocean spreading axes. The size, composition, and distribution of ophiolite-hosted deposits suggest that pyritic sulfide masses of >1 million tons averaging >1% Cu should be present in contemporary ridge settings. By analogy with ophiolites, rift zones behind and between ensimatic arcs (e.g., Lau Basin, Mariana Trough) and above subduction zones (e.g., Andaman Sea) have considerable potential for additional discoveries of massive sulfide in the deep ocean.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California, 94025, USA

    Randolph A. Koski

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  1. Randolph A. Koski
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, USA

    P. G. Teleki

  2. University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK

    M. R. Dobson

  3. University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA

    J. R. Moore

  4. Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Hannover, Germany

    U. von Stackelberg

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© 1987 D. Reidel Publishing Company

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Koski, R.A. (1987). Sulfide Deposits on the Sea Floor: Geological Models and Resource Perspectives Based on Studies in Ophiolite Sequences. In: Teleki, P.G., Dobson, M.R., Moore, J.R., von Stackelberg, U. (eds) Marine Minerals. NATO ASI Series, vol 194. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3803-8_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3803-8_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

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