Supergene formation of sulfur-rich, tochilinite-bearing serpentinites in the Oman ophiolite

Abstract

Mass transfer processes between fluids and ultramafic rocks produce subsurface environments encompassing a wide range of redox conditions. A notable locality where an extensive range of redox conditions is observed in one location is Hole BA1B, a ∼ 400 m borehole drilled by the Oman Drilling Project. A sulfur-enriched serpentinite zone, containing up to 0.6 wt% S, occurs between shallow oxidized serpentinites (<30 m) and deep partially serpentinized harzburgite (>150 m). All three alteration zones are predominantly composed of serpentine. However, microanalysis of samples from the sulfur-enriched zone shows that mesh textures after olivine are composed of serpentine, brucite, and tochilinite mixtures, yielding optically black thin-section samples that characterize this sulfidic zone. It is proposed that sulfur accumulates in this zone via a process similar to those found in supergene ore deposits. Reaction-path models show that at shallow conditions open to atmospheric input, sulfur is mobilized via oxidative weathering of serpentinized dunite and harzburgite. Sulfate-bearing fluids percolate deeper and react with host rocks in a system closed to atmospheric input. As fluids become more reduced, dissolved sulfate is precipitated as sulfide minerals yielding rocks with ∼0.4 wt% S, like those observed in Hole BA1B. Despite enrichment of S in the sulfidic zone in Hole BA1B, Ni and Co contents are uniform throughout all three layers in the borehole. This is consistent with model results which show that Ni (and, by analogy, Co) is less mobile than S, and can be hosted in serpentine and NiFe alloys in addition to sulfides. The sulfur enrichment process may occur abiotically. However, sulfide enrichment via microbial reduction of sulfate and other sulfur species can also facilitate the formation of the sulfidic zone. Bioenergetic calculations show that abundant energy is available for sulfur reducing microbes, consistent with previous work demonstrating the presence of active, sulfate-reducing microorganisms in Hole BA1B and other nearby boreholes. This suggests that the observed sulfur enrichment is an ongoing process. Overall, this work shows that variable redox conditions are attained as fluids percolate and react with serpentinized ultramafic rocks at variable extents of interaction between aquifer fluids, host ultramafic rocks, and the atmosphere.