Mechanisms of iron oxide transformations in hydrothermal systems

作者：Otake Tsubasa^*; Wesolowski David J; Anovitz Lawrence M; Allard Lawrence F; Ohmoto Hiroshi

来源：Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2010, 74(21): 6141-6156.

DOI：10.1016/j.gca.2010.07.024

Coexistence of magnetite and hematite in hydrothermal systems has often been used to constrain the redox potential of fluids, assuming that the redox equilibrium is attained among all minerals and aqueous species. However, as temperature decreases, disequilibrium mineral assemblages may occur due to the slow kinetics of reaction involving the minerals and fluids. In this study, we conducted a series of experiments in which hematite or magnetite was reacted with an acidic solution under H(2)-rich hydrothermal conditions (T = 100-250 degrees C, P(H2) = 0.05-5 MPa) to investigate the kinetics of redox and non-redox transformations between hematite and magnetite, and the mechanisms of iron oxide transformation under hydrothermal conditions. The formation of euhedral crystals of hematite in 150 and 200 degrees C experiments, in which magnetite was used as the starting material, indicates that non-redox transformation of magnetite to hematite occurred within 24 h. The chemical composition of the experimental solutions was controlled by the non-redox transformation between magnetite and hematite throughout the experiments. While solution compositions were controlled by the non-redox transformation in the first 3 days in a 250 degrees C experiment, reductive dissolution of magnetite became important after 5 days and affected the solution chemistry. At 100 degrees C, the presence of maghemite was indicated in the first 7 days. Based on these results, equilibrium constants of non-redox transformation between magnetite and hematite and those of non-redox transformation between magnetite and maghemite were calculated. Our results suggest that the redox transformation of hematite to magnetite occurs in the following steps: (1) reductive dissolution of hematite to Fe((aq))(2+) and (2) non-redox transformation of hematite and Fe((aq))(2+) to magnetite.

• 出版日期2010-11-1