Document type
Journal articles
Document subtype
Full paper
Title
XRD Identification of Ore Minerals during Cruises: Refinement of Extraction Procedure with Sodium Acetate Buffer
Participants in the publication
Jelena Milinovic (Author)
Ágata Alveirinho Dias (Author)
IDL
Ana I. Janeiro (Author)
Dep. Química e Bioquímica
Manuel F. C. Pereira (Author)
Sofia Martins (Author)
Sven Petersen (Author)
Fernando J. A. S. Barriga (Author)
Dep. Geologia
IDL
Summary
The on-board identification of ore minerals during a cruise is often postponed until long after the cruise is over. During the M127 cruise, 21 cores with deep-seafloor sediments were recovered in the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) field along the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR). Sediments were analyzed on-board for physicochemical properties such as lightness (L*), pH and Eh. Selected samples were studied for mineral composition by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Based on XRD data, sediment samples were separated into high-, low- and non-carbonated. Removal of carbonates is a common technique in mineralogical studies in which HCl is used as the extraction agent. In the present study, sequential extraction was performed with sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0) to remove carbonates. The ratio between the highest calcite XRD reflection in the original samples (Iorig) vs its XRD-reflection in samples after their treatment with the buffer (Itreat) was used as a quantitative parameter of calcite removal, as well as to identify minor minerals in carbonated samples (when Iorig/Itreat > 24). It was found that the lightness parameter (L*) showed a positive correlation with calcite XRD reflection in selected TAG samples, and this could be applied to the preliminary on-board determination of extraction steps with acetate buffer (pH 5.0) in carbonated sediment samples. The most abundant minerals detected in carbonated samples were quartz and Al- and Fe-rich clays. Other silicates were also detected (e.g., calcic plagioclase, montmorillonite, nontronite). In non-carbonated samples, Fe oxides and hydroxides (goethite and hematite, respectively) were detected. Pyrite was the dominant hydrothermal mineral and Cu sulfides (chalcopyrite, covellite) and hydrothermal Mn oxides (birnessite and todorokite) were mineral phases identified in few samples, whereas paratacamite was detected in the top 20 cm of the core. The present study demonstrates that portable XRD analysis makes it possible to characterize mineralogy at cored sites, in particular in both low- and high-carbonated samples, before the end of most cruises, thus enabling the quick modification of exploration strategies in light of new information as it becomes available in near-real time
Date of Submisson/Request
2019-11-03
Date of Acceptance
2020-03-08
Date of Publication
2020-02-12
Institution
FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA
Where published
Minerals
Publication Identifiers
ISSN - 2075-163X
Publisher
MDPI AG
Document Identifiers
DOI -
https://doi.org/10.3390/min10020160
URL -
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/min10020160
Rankings
SCOPUS Q2 (2019) - 2.6 - Geology
SCIMAGO Q2 (2019) - 0.494 - Geology (Q2)
Web Of Science Q2 (2018) - 2.25 - MINERALOGY - SCIE
Keywords
TAG
MAR
XRD
mineralogy
Tags
Deep-sea hydrothermal systems
Marine geology
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