SWIMAR

Rainbow hydrothermal vent (MAR)
Serpentinite (SWIR)
Sulfide mineralization, Saldanha (MAR)

WELCOME to the SWIMAR project!

SWIMAR – The role of ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems in the formation of seafloor deposits: comparison between SWIR and MAR fields / 超基性岩系海底熱泉系統於海床熱液礦床扮演之角色:以 SWIR 及 MAR 熱泉系統相互比較為例 

The project brings together researchers in Mainland China, Macao and Europe to investigate the role of ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems in the formation of massive sulphide deposits. The project provides an excellent opportunity to combine samples from ultramafic fields from MAR, collected by the European partners, and from SWIR, collected by the Chinese partners, to take a comparative and original approach to this question. 

Project reference: FDCT0002/2018/A1 (2018-2021)

TEAM

Ágata Alveirinho Dias

Principal Investigator (PI) from ISE, USJ, Macau (PhD)

ChunHui Tao

Team member from SIO, SOA,  China (PhD)

Fernando Barriga

Team member from IDL, FCUL, Portugal (PhD)

Qiu Wenhong Johnson – 邱文洪

Post-doc: SWIMAR Fellowship (PhD) pending approval

Pedro Costa

PhD Student: SWIMAR scholarship (ISE, Macau and IDL, Portugal)

Dicky, Wong Tik Man – 黃迪雯

 Research assistant

Pedro Quelhas

Former PhD Student: SWIMAR scholarship (ISE, Macau and IDL, Portugal)

Ding Teng – 丁腾

Collaborator from the Institute of Marine Geology, College of Oceanography, Hohai University (PhD)

Shili Liao – 廖时理

Collaborator from SIO, KLSG, SOA, Hangzhou, China (PhD)

Collaborations

KLSG – Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, SOA, China

EMEPC – Portuguese Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf, Potugal

SIO – Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, China

COMRA – China Ocean Mineral Resource R&D Association, China

IDL – Instituto Dom Luiz, FCUL, Lisbon, Portugal

ETH-Zurich – Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Zurich, Switzerland

NOCS – Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton. UK

Introduction

The discovery of hydrothermal fields on the seafloor was one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the last century. However, despite the incredible progresses made over the last few decades, still little is known about how mineral deposits associated with hydrothermal systems are formed on the seafloor. This lack of knowledge is even more pronounced for ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems, likely to hold more significant mineral deposits than basalt-hosted systems. This project aims to contribute to (1) our understanding of the geochemical and mineralogical changes that take place within hydrothermal systems, (2) clarify the role of serpentinization reactions in the formation of mineral deposits and (3) provide new insights into the formation of seafloor massive sulphide deposits, characterizing the main differences between mafic and ultramafic hydrothermal systems. Moreover, by characterizing the chemical processes operating in ultramafic hydrothermal settings, the project aims to contribute towards the development of new survey geochemical methods to be used in the detection of ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal fields.

摘要

海底熱泉的發現被視為上世紀科學界的一項重大發現。儘管在過去數十年中有著驚人的進展，但我們 對於海床成礦機制與熱液系統間相互作用的瞭解仍然匱乏。我們對於重要的成礦系統-超基性岩系熱 液系統的認知更是少於玄武岩系熱液系統。
本研究旨在推進下列領域的發展:
(1). 熱液系統內發生的地球化學與礦物學的改變;(2). 成礦機制中蛇紋岩化作用扮演的角色;(3). 提出 形成海床塊形硫化礦床機制的新觀點，特別是對於基性與超基性熱液系統間的差別。 進一步來說，本研究旨在闡述超基性熱液系統內的化學過程，同时發展一套全新的地球化學觀測方法 應用於探索超基性岩系熱液系統。

Publications and communications

  • Liao S, Tao C, Dias Á A, Su X, Yang Z, Ni, Liang J, Yang W, Liu J, Li W, Dong C (2019) Surface sediment composition and distribution of hydrothermal derived elements at the Duanqiao-1 hydrothermal field, Southwest Indian Ridge. Marine Geology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2019.105975
  • Dias ÁA, Costa P, Marques AF, Ribeiro L, Madureira P, Calado A, Gonçalves E & Morato T (2019) Geochemistry of Fe-Si-(Mn) Chimneys from Luso Vent Field, MAR. Goldschmidt2019. 416, 10i. Barcelona (August ). https://goldschmidt.info/2019/abstracts/abstractView?id=2019003072
  • Costa P and Dias Á A. (2019) Hydrothermal Fe-Mn deposits from low-temperature systems of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. InterRidge, Hangzhou (September)
  • Qiu W, Dias Á A, Barriga F, Tao C (2019) Sulfide mineralization of the Saldanha hydrothermal field (MAR): constraints from sulfur isotope in-situ microanalysis. InterRidge, Hangzhou (September)
  • Qiu W, Dias Á A, Costa P (2019) Hydrothermal Field at Mid-Atlantic Ridge, near Azores (Portugal): new perspective with the SWIMAR project. The 17th annual academic conference on Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry, No.11-7. Hangzhou, China
Photos