Carbonation of mantle peridotites at the Atlantis Massif: Insights from
IODP Expedition 357
Abstract
Petrographic and major element investigations on carbonates from drill
cores recovered during IODP Expedition 357 on the Atlantis Massif (AM)
provide information on the genesis of carbonate minerals in the oceanic
lithosphere. Textural sequences and mineralogical assemblages reveal
three distinct types of carbonate occurrences in ultramafic rocks that
are controlled by (i) fluid composition and flow, (ii) temperature of
the system, and (iii) the presence of mafic intrusions. The first
occurrence of carbonate consists of different generations of calcite
that formed syn- to post- serpentinization. These calcites formed at
temperatures between 30 and 185°C (based on clumped isotopes) and from a
fluid influenced by interaction with mafic intrusions. The second
occurrence consists of magnesite, dolomite, calcite and aragonite veins
that also formed syn- to post serpentinization. These carbonates formed
at temperatures between 4 and 188°C and from fluids with highly variable
composition and Mg/Ca ratios, but overall high CO2 and moderate SiO2
concentrations. High FeO (3.3 wt%) and MnO (7.3 wt%) contents indicate
high temperatures, high water/rock ratios, and low oxygen fugacity for
both carbonate assemblages. The third occurrence consists solely of
aragonite veins formed at low-temperatures (5°C) within the uplifted
serpentinized peridotites. Chemical data suggest that aragonite
precipitated from cold seawater, which underwent little exchange with
the basement. Combining these observations, we propose a model that
places different carbonate occurrences in a conceptual frame involving
mafic intrusions in the peridotites and fluid heterogeneities during
progressive exhumation and alteration of the AM.