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Changes in the hydrothermal system at Loihi Seamount after the formation of Pele's pit in 1996

¹ Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, California 95039-0628

Sulfide and sulfate minerals recovered from Loihi Seamount during PISCES V submersible dives in October 1996 are the first occurrence of high-temperature hydrothermal mineralization documented for ocean island volcanoes. Millimeter- to centimeter-sized particles recovered in talus deposits on the north rim of the newly formed Pele's pit consist of aggregates of pyrite, marcasite (?), pyrrhotite, wurtzite, and barite. The barite occurs as single, clear, euhedral crystals or as acicular, radial crystal clusters on sulfide or rock fragments. The mineral assemblage and the composition of the sulfide phases are similar to those of hydrothermal sulfide from mid-ocean spreading centers. The sulfide assemblage confirms the presence of high-temperature fluids (>250 °C) in the Loihi hydrothermal system. The sulfide samples are not pieces of broken chimney or basal mound structures, or stockwork from lower levels in the hydrothermal system. The euhedral crystals and homogeneous compositions suggest rapid precipitation from a high-temperature plume injected into cold seawater along fractures and fissures that define the north wall of the new pit crater formed during the seismic swarm in July and August 1996.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. S. Davis, D. A. Clague, R. A. Zierenberg, C. G. Wheat, and B. L. Cousens SULFIDE FORMATION RELATED TO CHANGES IN THE HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM ON LOIHI SEAMOUNT, HAWAI'I, FOLLOWING THE SEISMIC EVENT IN 1996 Can Mineral, April 1, 2003; 41(2): 457 - 472. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]