Massive deep-sea sulphide ore deposits discovered on the East Pacific Rise

@article{Francheteau1979MassiveDS,
  title={Massive deep-sea sulphide ore deposits discovered on the East Pacific Rise},
  author={Jean Francheteau and H. D. Needham and Pierre Choukroune and Thierry Juteau and Marie J.M. S{\'e}guret and Robert D. Ballard and Paul J. Fox and William R. Normark and A. Carranza and Diego C{\'o}rdoba and Jose C. Guerrero and Claude Rangin and Henri Bougault and Pierre Cambon and Roger H{\'e}kinian},
  journal={Nature},
  year={1979},
  volume={277},
  pages={523-528}
}
Massive ore-grade zinc, copper and iron sulphide deposits have been found at the axis of the East Pacific Rise. Although their presence on the deep ocean-floor had been predicted there was no supporting observational evidence. The East Pacific Rise deposits represent a modern analogue of Cyprus-type sulphide ores associated with ophiolitic rocks on land. They contain at least 29% zinc metal and 6% metallic copper. Their discovery will provide a new focus for deep-sea exploration, leading to new… 
View on Nature
archimer.ifremer.fr
320 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
2
Background Citations
42

320 Citations

Comparison of sulphide deposits from the East Pacific Rise and Cyprus
Submarine sulphide deposits of the East Pacific Rise, discovered in 1978, at the mouth of the Gulf of California are compared here with fossil massive sulphide ore bodies. Two main types of massive…
Sulfide Deposits from the East Pacific Rise Near 21�N
Massive sulfide deposits were discovered from the diving saucer Cyana on the accreting plate boundary region of the East Pacific Rise near 21�N. The deposits form conical and tubular structures lying…
Fluid inclusion studies of deep-sea hydrothermal sulphide deposits on the East Pacific Rise near 21°N
Ages and implications of East Pacific Rise sulphide deposits at 21 °N
Massive sulphide deposits described as inactive hydrothermal deposits (samples CYP) along the axis of East Pacific Rise (EPR) were first discovered at 21 °N, about 700 m west of the active rift1.…
A high-temperature hydrothermal deposit on the East Pacific Rise near 7°N
Sea-floor massive sulphides from the Galápagos Rift Zone – mineralogy, geochemistry and economic importance
The largest reserves of the Earth’s mineral resources are located on the ocean floor. Amongst these, hydrocarbon and metallic resources are of the greatest importance. In 2010, the International…
15. GEOCHEMISTRY OF SEDIMENTS FROM THE EAST PACIFIC RISE AT 23°N!
We looked for chemical evidence of hydrothermal activity in sediments from Leg 65 sites. All the sediments analyzed showed bulk compositions typical of normal hemipelagic sediments, and there was no…
New discoveries of massive sulfides on the East Pacific Rise
Late Jurassic ocean anoxic event: evidence from voluminous sulphide deposition and preservation in the Panthalassa
TLDR
It is inferred that intense mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal and volcanic activity in the Late Jurassic produced huge sulphide deposits and large emissions of CO2 gas, leading to global warming and a stratified Panthalassa Ocean with anoxic deep seas that favored preservation of sulphides in the pelagic environment.
Economic potential of sea–floor massive sulphide deposits: ancient and modern
  • P. Herzig
  • Geology
    Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
  • 1999
TLDR
Some of the most prospective gold–rich deposits have been found in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea, and if drilling proves that mineralization extends to depth, these deposits may become the first marine mine sites for gold and base metal sulphide mineralization.
...
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 21 REFERENCES
Geological Relationships Between Massive Sulfide Bodies and Ophiolitic Volcanic Rocks near York Harbour, Newfoundland
Small lenses of massive copper- and zinc-rich sulfide occur in ophiolitic volcanic rocks capping the Bay of Islands Igneous Complex near York Harbour, Newfoundland. Ore was discovered in 1897 and…
Sulfides associated with the Salton Sea geothermal brine
Concentrated saline brine tapped by a deep well drilled for geothermal power near the Salton Sea, California, deposited metal-rich siliceous scale at the rate of 2 to 3 tons per month. The iron-rich…
Hydrothermal deposits and associated basement rocks from the Galapagos spreading center
Relatively thick (up to 15 m) hydrothermal deposits from the southern flank of the Galapagos spreading center were drilled on a crust of about 0.62 myr old (magnetic age), during Leg 54 of the Glomar…
Metalliferous deposits from the Apennine ophiolites: Mesozoic equivalents of modern deposits from oceanic spreading centers
Northern Apennines ophiolite complexes, consisting of peridotite-gabbro-basalt assemblages overlain by chert of Late Jurassic age, are probably fragments of oceanic crust created at a Mesozoic…
Hydrothermal fluids of seawater salinity in ophiolitic sulphide ore deposits in Cyprus
Freezing points of fluid inclusions in vein quartz intergrown with sulphides from ophiolitic cupriferous pyrite ore deposits in Cyprus indicate a hydrothermal fluid of seawater salinity, and confirm…
Sulfide Ore Deposits in Relation to Plate Tectonics
The dynamics of lithospheric plate motions, as denned by plate tectonic theory, appear to exert a fundamental control on many geologic processes, including sulfide ore deposition. An analysis of…
A hydrothermal deposit from the floor of the Gulf of Aden.
Summary Fragments of a hydrothermal deposit, partly moulded on pieces of basalt lava, were dredged from the edge of the median valley in the centre of the Gulf of Aden. The deposit consists of two…
A theoretical study of hydrothermal convection and the origin of the ophiolitic sulphide ore deposits of Cyprus
Sub-sea-floor metamorphism, heat and mass transfer
The ophiolitic rocks of E. Liguria, Italy contain a „spilitic” metamorphic assemblage sequence, cross-cut by hydrothermal veins, which developed in the oceanic environment. Metamorphic parageneses…
Near-Bottom Geologic Studies of the East Pacific Rise Crest
A survey with near-bottom instruments was made over a 15 km by 25 km area of the East Pacific Rise crest at the mouth of the Gulf of California. The survey lines were positioned to an accuracy of…
...
...