Hydrothermally altered hyaloclastites at the Earth’s surface in the rift zone of Iceland: Problem of the biochemogenic accumulation of trace elements

Abstract

Results of the mineral and chemical study of surface-altered hyaloclastites from the Theistareykir and Namafjall geothermal zones, the North Iceland rift, are considered. The paper scrutinizes the composition of hydrothermally altered rocks mainly consisting of clay minerals related to the transformation of bedrock hyaloclastites. The clay minerals also make up slope talus or proluvial deltas around highlands. The major clay minerals in areas of the present-day fumarole activity are kaolinite and smectite, while the redeposited talus-proluvial sediments are mainly composed of smectites. The studied rocks contain framboids, globules, rods, and other structures with morphology and size similar to those of mineralized bacteria. The local concentration of Ag in proluvial deposits is attributed to the intense bacterial activity. It is supposed that elevated contents of some trace elements could be related to an intense microbiotic influence.