[The enrichment characteristic and mechanism of gold-silver minerals in submarine hydrothermal sulfides from the ultra-slow-spreading SWIR].

ABSTRACT

In the present study, content and occurrence of Au, Ag in three submarine hydrothermal sulfide samples from the ultra-slow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) were studied by using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results of ICP-AES show that all of the samples have signs of Au-Ag enrichment. By SEM/EDS, we discovered a mass of gold-silver minerals in the samples. In S27-4, gold occurs as irregular-shaped native gold and electrum grains in sulfides or between crystal particles. However, we discovered lots of Au-independent silver minerals except parts of electrum in S35-22. EDS results of silver minerals indicate that silver minerals closely related with halogen element, inferring that silver minerals may be silver halides. Electrum in S35-22 can be absorbed at the surface or crystal edge of pyrite besides occurring in or between sulfides as S27-4, supposed to be related to surface defect in pyrite. Electrum is the only Au-Ag mineral discovered in S35-17. These electrum gains occur as inclusion gold, absorbed gold or fissure gold. In addition, there are different Au-Ag mole ratios of electrum in three samples, indicating distinct hydrothermal conditions. In the base of research before, we consider that AgCl2(-) is the dominant complex of silver in ore-forming fluid of S27-4, however, gold is transported as AuCl2(-) transforming to AuHS(0), indicating that hydrothermal fluids decreased from high-moderate to moderate-low temperature and conductive cooling played an important role in this process. Similar enrichment mechanism happened in S35-22, but silver halides discovered in S35-22 suggest a higher temperature and chloride in the early stage. However, The enrichment of electrums in black smoke sample (S35-17) relates to mixing of hydrothermal fluids and seawater.