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Solubilities of metallic sulfides and quartz in hydrothermal sulfide solutions

  • Première Partie Communications Lues Au « International Symposium On Volcanology » (Nouvelle-Zélande, Du 22 Nov. À 3 Déc. 1965)
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Abstract

Thermal waters contain small amounts of dissolved sulfides which in places precipitate at or near the earth’s surface. Knowledge of the physical chemistry of hydrothermal solutions is needed at elevated temperatures and pressures. Therefore, solubilities of the epithermal minerals cinnabar, stibnite, quartz, and orpiment in aqueousNa 2 S solutions was determined from 25–250° C, 1–2000 bars, and at severalNa 2 S concentrations. All the minerals are appreciably soluble inNa 2 S solutions. Pressure increase decreases solubilities of metallic sulfides but slightly increases quartz solubility. Temperature increase causes increased solubility at temperatures above 150° C, but at lower temperatures, cinnabar, orpiment and quartz show solubility decreases with increasing temperatures. Quartz and cinnabar are mutually soluble, but in the presence of stibnite only a small amount of cinnabar dissolves.

The second ionization constant ofH 2 S as calculated from the solubility data ranges from 10−16,21 at 0°C to 10−12,59 at 250°C. TheK 2 ofH 2 S is lower according to this study than any reported before, and the variation with temperature is several orders of magnitude greater than had been predicted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Riverside, California, U. S. A.

    F. W. Dickson

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  1. F. W. Dickson
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Publication No. 505, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California. Paper read at the IAV International Symposium on Volcanology (New Zealand), scientific session of Nov. 30, 1965.

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Dickson, F.W. Solubilities of metallic sulfides and quartz in hydrothermal sulfide solutions. Bull Volcanol 29, 605–628 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02597181

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02597181

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