ALBERT

Description: Hydrothermal fluids in ultramafic‐hosted hydrothermal systems associated with oceanic detachment faults can be more oxidizing compared to mafic‐hosted vent sites. These fluids form a mineral assemblage of pyrite, magnetite and hematite. At 13°30′N on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, chlorite‐quartz breccias recovered from an exposed fault scarp contain pyrite, with abundant magnetite and hematite, indicating that the redox of the fluids was variable. In primary micron‐scale zonations in pyrite, Ni, Co, and Se have a decoupled relationship, recording fluctuations in the chemical composition and temperature of hydrothermal fluid as the grains grew. Secondary zonations that erase and overprint primary zonations are limited to the grain margin and permeable regions within the grain core. Secondary zonations formed via two processes: (a) grain dissolution followed by overgrowth, and (b) remobilization of metals during oxidizing fluid flow events. In both instances, Ni and Co have been mobilized and concentrated, and are not lost to the hydrothermal fluid. Superimposed on these features is evidence of grain scale deformation related to periods of fault movement along the detachment surface. Sulfur isotope ratios (δ 34 S) in pyrite systematically decrease from the grain margin to the grain core, indicating that increased amounts of sulfur were derived from thermochemical sulfate reduction of seawater. Thus, pyrite records the evolution of fluid flow and deformation events during exhumation along the detachment surface from ∼1 to 2 km below the seafloor at the base of the lava pile, with temporal fluctuations in fluid redox identified as an important process in controlling Ni and Co enrichment in pyrite. Plain Language Summary Detachment faults are long lived faults that can expose ultramafic rocks at the seafloor. We aim to investigate the links between hydrothermal activity and detachment fault formation. To do this we use pyrite as a tape recorder for past fluid flow events. Across individual mineral grains, distinct zonations in metal content and sulfur isotope ratios show that the incursion of seawater occurred periodically during pyrite growth, increasing during fault movement events that lead to changes in the temperature and pH of the fluids in the fault zone. These changes concentrated metals toward the center of individual mineral grains. Zonations were then overprinted by later deformation‐related events, providing evidence that the samples formed at deeper crustal levels below the seafloor and were progressively exhumed at the seafloor over time. Key Points Microtextural, geochemical, and isotopic variations in subseafloor pyrite record the history of sample exhumation along a detachment fault Nickel and Co are remobilized and concentrated in pyrite across individual mineral grains in response to fluctuating fluid redox conditions Evidence of pyrite deformation and alteration mineralogy of samples indicates sample exhumation from a depth of 1–2 km

Description: Variations in trace metal contents and sulfur isotope ratios (δ34S) within pyrite, at the scale of individual mineral grains, preserves a record of temporal fluctuations in the source of metals and sulfur as well as changes in the chemical composition and temperature of hydrothermal fluid during the evolution of the Brothers volcano, Kermadec arc, New Zealand. In this study, we analyzed pyrite from drill core recovered from two geochemically distinct hydrothermal systems at the Brothers volcano, the seawater-influenced NW Caldera (Site U1530) and magmatic-volatile-dominated Upper Cone (Site U1528) during the International Ocean Discovery Program’s Expedition 376. At the NW Caldera site, from 189 m below the seafloor, a seawater-derived hydrothermal fluid forming chlorite-rich alteration overprints early pyrophyllite + illite alteration. Within ~ 30 m of the seafloor at this same site, pyrite contains zones of high As content with a variable δ34S signature that ranges from -4.5 to 3.4‰ (n = 26). Values for δ34S 〉 0‰ record shallow mixing of seawater with upwelling hydrothermal fluids. In deeper parts of the system, but still within the chlorite-rich alteration zone, δ34S values 〉 0‰ are absent, indicating that relatively more sulfur is contributed from magmatic volatile degassing and SO2 disproportionation. In the pyrophyllite-rich alteration zone, pyrite contains Co-enriched cores that correspond to sharp changes in δ34S values from -5.3‰ to 4.6‰ (n = 68). Cobalt enrichment occurs in response to the mixing of seawater-derived hydrothermal fluid with Co-rich magmatic brines. At the Upper Cone site, a relatively constant supply of a low-salinity magmatic fluid results in pyrite grains that rarely exhibit any internal zonation in trace metal content. In pyrite where zonation does exist, a correlation between Cu and Sb and uniformly low δ34S values (〈 0‰) indicates a link between metal enrichment, the pulsed degassing of magmatic volatiles, and SO2 disproportionation.