The Evidence from Inclusions in Pumices for the Direct Degassing of Volatiles from the Magma to the Hydrothermal Fluids in the Okinawa Trough

This article presents the evidence in support of the direct magma degassing as the principal mechanism of volatiles releasing into the hydrothermal fluids in the Okinawa Trough, as contrasted to the argument for the hydrothermal stripping of volatiles from the volcanic rocks.\ Laser Raman microprobe and stepped-heating techniques are employed to determine the compositions and contents of the volatiles in pumices in the middle Okinawa Trough. The results show that the volatiles are similar to the gases in the hydrothermal fluids and hydrothermal minerals in composition, the mean percent content of each component and variation trend. This indicates the direct influence of magma degassing on the hydrothermal fluids. In addition, the contents of volatiles in pumices are rather low and do not support the hydrothermal stripping as the main mechanism to enrich the fluids with gases. The results are consistent with the idea that the direct magma degassing is more important than hydrothermal stripping in supplying gases to the hydrothermal fluids in the Okinawa Trough.