Hydrothermal signatures in sediments from eastern Southwest Indian Ridge 63°E to 68°E

Abstract

Hydrothermal vent incidence is proportional to the spreading rate of the mid-oceanic ridges (MORs) (Baker et al., 1996). However, the ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) is unique and has a relatively higher incidence of hydrothermal vent fields compared with other ultra-slow spreading ridges (German et al., 1998; Baker and German, 2004). In the present study, sediment samples from the less studied easternmost section of the ultra-slow spreading SWIR are investigated to decipher the signatures of hydrothermal activity. The sediments are mainly composed of calcium carbonate (55–85%), Fe-Mn-(oxyhydr)oxide (13–27%), and residual aluminosilicate phases (2–17%). The metalliferous nature, low Mn concentration (393–1772 ppm), negative Ce, and positive Y anomalies in the shale-normalized rare earth element (REE) pattern of the bulk sediments provide evidence for the presence of hydrothermal inputs in most of the sediments. The fractionation among lighter REEs over heavier REEs in bulk sediments indicates the high-temperature hydrothermal plume fall-out to the sediments. The leached fraction also shows similar negative Ce and positive Y anomalies, and indicates that the Fe-Mn-(oxyhydr)oxide precipitates in these sediments may be dominantly of hydrothermal origin. In addition to hydrothermal Fe-Mn-(oxyhydr)oxide phases, the residual fraction of the sediments also consists of minor quantities of hydrothermally sourced sulfate phases. Otherwise, the residual fraction is significantly dominated by mid-oceanic ridge basalt (MORB) derived components in addition to serpentinized peridotite and terrigenous material.Among the studied sediments, sample E-3-16 from Fuji Dome (influenced by hydrothermal activity) has high zinc concentrations, which indicates the possibility of a new vent field in the vicinity. The present study also introduces a new geochemical tool (Zn/Fe vs Co/Zn proxy) for assessing the contribution of hydrothermal components in the sediments. The Zn/Fe vs Co/Zn proxy will be more useful in MOR settings hosting sulfides dominated by sphalerite.The influence of hydrothermal activity in most of the studied sediments from the eastern SWIR indicates that the ultra-slow spreading eastern SWIR has the potential to possess a larger number of hydrothermal vent fields.