Manganese‐rich rock coatings from Iceland

Abstract

AbstractManganese‐rich rock coatings are widespread in Iceland, especially in fractures in basalt lavas. Three common types of coating are described. A thick subsurface coating is found on whaleback forms on high plateaux. The most common type is thinner and occurs in hydrothermal clay‐filled fracture systems which are especially well developed in tholeiite lavas. A third type occurs in younger rocks and is associated with tephra‐rich, loessic sediment which fills open fractures and vesicles. There are differences in the chemistry, morphology, and mineralogy of these coatings which are interpreted as being due to the different microenvironments in which they form. The fracture microenvironment is regarded as being of much more importance to coating thickness and chemistry than simple age and in this respect the hydrothermal clays seem to favour rapid manganese concentration. On the other hand, there are variations in coating type, both laterally and vertically through the lava succession, which are related to regional distribution of hydrothermal alteration and rock type. The regional patterns are the result of Iceland's lateral drift and as a result there is an incidental connection between coating type and rock age. There is some evidence to suggest that the manganese coatings may be both forming and being degraded rapidly in the present environment.