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Diagenetic behavior of rare-earth elements: an example of layered sulfide ores of the Novy Shemur volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit, North Urals, Russia

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Abstract

The Novy Shemur volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit in the North Urals, Russia, is a one of striking examples of erosion of hydrothermal sulfide mounds on the Paleozoic seafloor. The top of the ore body of the deposit hosts the rhythmically layered sulfide ores intercalated with gossanite (Si–Fe-rich) and pelitic hyaloclastic layers on the top of each rhythms. These ores are identified as lithified sulfide turbidite flows and products of their seafloor oxidation. They are characterized by gradational layering, varying size of clastic sulfide material and the presence of load casts in the bottom of the layers, signatures of their collapse and slumping, and reverse folds, discontinuities, pinches and amalgamation of layers corresponding to initial stages of sediment consolidation. The sulfide layers composed of pyrite clasts gradually transit to gossanite layers because of the seafloor oxidation of the top of the sulfide layers. In the gossanite layers, pseudomorphic hematite–quartz particles after sulfide clasts, fragments of chloritized and silicified hyaloclasts and tube fossils are emplaced in a quartz–hematite groundmass. The sulfide–gossanite layers are enriched in authigenic rare-earth element (REE)-bearing minerals (monazite, REE-bearing xenotime and epidote) associated with titanite, apatite and epidote. The REE-phosphates show textural evidence of sedimentary to diagenetic and low-metamorphic evolution of their precursors. The presence of well-preserved REE-phosphate–titanite–apatite mineral assemblage within the fossilized tube worms closely to bacterial structures in the gossanite layers indicates high microbial activity during the accumulation of REEs, which were released from hyaloclasts during alteration of primary sulfide–hyaloclast sediments. These geological, mineralogical and geochemical features suggest that the sulfide–gossanite layers are a result of seafloor mixing of sulfide and hyaloclast components, which further underwent the processes of halmyrolysis, diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Michel Jébrak, Topic Editor Jean-Francois Moyen and Editor-in-Chief Ulrich Riller for the positive evaluation of the manuscript and useful recommendations for its better improvement. This work was supported by state contract of the IMin (no. 075-00880-22-00) and Russian Science Foundation (project no. 22-17-00215).

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Correspondence to Nuriya R. Ayupova.

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Ayupova, N.R., Maslennikov, V.V., Safina, N.P. et al. Diagenetic behavior of rare-earth elements: an example of layered sulfide ores of the Novy Shemur volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit, North Urals, Russia. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 112, 1747–1770 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02324-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02324-3

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