Relating sulfide mineral zonation and trace element chemistry to subsurface processes in the Reykjanes geothermal system, Iceland

The nature and distribution of sulfide minerals and their trace element chemistry in the seawater-dominated Reykjanes geothermal system was determined through the study of cuttings and core from wells that intersect different regions of the hydrothermal cell, from the near surface to depths of > 3000 m. The observed sulfide mineral zonation and trace element enrichment correlate well with the present-day thermal structure of the system. Isocubanite and pyrrhotite are confined to the deep, low permeability regions, whereas an assemblage of chalcopyrite and pyrite predominates in the main convective upflow path. The presence of marcasite in the uppermost regions of the system reflects weakly acidic conditions (pH < 5) marginal to the upflow, where outflow and downward percolating fluids have dissolved deeply exsolved CO2. The presence of “chalcopyrite disease” in sphalerite may be an indication that the system is experiencing a heating trend, following the logic of “zone-refining” in volcanogenic massive sulfide systems. Sulfide sulfur at all analyzed depths in the Reykjanes geothermal system was derived from a mixture of basaltic and reduced seawater sources. Petrographic evidence suggests that seawater-derived hydrothermal fluids have altered primary igneous sulfides in the host rocks, a process that has been proposed as a major control of aqueous sulfide production in mid-ocean ridge environments. Calculations show that igneous sulfides in the host basalts likely account for less than 5% of the total available ore metal budget in the system, however, their contribution to fluid metal budgets is probably significant because of their relatively high solubility. The processes documented by this study are likely analogous to those operating in the feeder and deep reaction zones of mid-ocean ridge seafloor hydrothermal systems. The results show that sulfide mineral zonation and trace element chemistry vary as a function of physicochemical parameters that are relevant to the characterization and exploration of geothermal energy resources.