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Nd–Sr isotopic and REE constraints on the genesis of hydrothermal manganese crusts in the Galapagos

Nature volume 311, pages 743–745 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

Manganese oxide crusts from the Galapagos spreading centre, interpreted to be of hydrothermal origin, have Nd isotopic compositions and rare-earth element (REE) concentrations that approach seawater values as the age increases. Numerous authors1,2 have cited hydrothermal processes along the mid-oceanic ridges to explain the composition of ‘metalliferous’ sediments. Other authors believe that these sediments, whether now located on a ridge axis or in some deep, were derived from hydrothermal activity near ridges and were modified during removal from these ridges3–6. Nd and Sr isotopic compositions as well as concentrations of REE and Cu, Ni and Co in hydrothermal Mn crusts of different ages from the Galapagos spreading area were determined to provide new information regarding the problem of the alteration behaviour with time of oceanic sediments. Our data suggest that hydrothermal crusts react with seawater and ultimately acquire the trace-element characteristics of hydrogeneous crusts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Sédimentologie et Géochimie de la Surface, Université L. Pasteur, 67084, Strasbourg-Cedex, France

    N. Clauer & P. Stille

  2. Equipe de Recherche Associée 765, Université Paris Sud, Orsay, France

    C. Bonnot-Courtois

  3. Department of Geology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA

    W. S. Moore

Authors
  1. N. Clauer
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  3. C. Bonnot-Courtois
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  4. W. S. Moore
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Clauer, N., Stille, P., Bonnot-Courtois, C. et al. Nd–Sr isotopic and REE constraints on the genesis of hydrothermal manganese crusts in the Galapagos. Nature 311, 743–745 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/311743a0

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