Hydrothermal alteration associated with rift zones at Fangataufa atoll (French Polynesia)

Abstract

The Mururoa and Fangataufa atoll basement consists of superimposed submarine and subaerial lava flows which have been intruded by late volcanics. The intrusions have developed large hydrothermal alteration haloes throughout the basaltic wall rock. The cuttings of the Natice-1 and Mitre-1 holes, drilled into the submarine volcanic pile at Fangataufa atoll, show a vertical zonation of clay minerals ranging from 270 to 850 m depth. The newly formed clay minerals occurring from top to bottom of the altered pile are: dioctahedral aluminous smectites, saponite, an intimate assemblage of saponite with two random chlorite/saponite mixed layers and an intimate assemblage of one random chlorite/saponite mixed-layer with one ordered chlorite/saponite mixed layer and one chlorite below 816 m depth. These clay mineral assemblages indicate a general increase in the chloritic component with depth. They are associated throughout the pile with secondary carbonates and quartz. The ∂18O and ∂13C of calcite and ∂18O of clay minerals, on the one hand, and the intimate mixtures of trioctahedral species, on the other, suggest a general cooling with the evolution of a paleogeothermal gradient from approximately 300 °C/km during the crystallization of chlorite to 150 °C/km for the late calcite precipitation.