Pourbaix diagrams to decipher precipitation conditions of Si-Fe-Mn-oxyhydroxides at the PACMANUS hydrothermal field

Utilizing Si, Fe and Mn concentrations within the end-member PACMANUS hydrothermal fluid, Si-Fe-Mn-H2O Pourbaix diagrams were constructed at 300℃and 25℃. ThePourbaix diagrams show that the main Si, Fe and Mn oxides species precipitating from the hydrothermal fluid were SiO2, Fe（OH）3, Fe3（OH）8, Mn3O4, and Mn2O3at 25℃. During mixing of hydrothermal fluid with seawater, SiO2 precipitated earlier than Fe-Mn-oxyhydroxides because of the lower stability boundary. Then Fe（OH）2 precipitated first, followed by Fe3（OH）8 and Fe（OH）3, and last, small amounts of Mn3O4 and Mn2O3 precipitated. Fe（OH）3was readily de-posited in alkaline solution with little influence by Eh. There were many Si-Fe-Mn-concentric particles in the polished sections of the massive precipitates collected from PACMANUS. In the concentric nucleus and ellipsoid, Si oxides precipitated first before the hydrothermal fluid had mixed with seawater. In the concen-tric nucleus, after the precipitation of Si oxides, the increase of pH and Eh promoted the precipitation of Mn oxides around the Si oxides. In the large ellipsoid, the precipitation of Fe was divided into two periods. In the early period, increase of pH value of hydrothermal fluid produced by low-temperature convection and an input of a small volume of seawater promoted a small amount of Fe（OH）3 to precipitate in the Si-rich core. In the late period, after complete mixing with seawater and the resultant fluid was close to neutral or slightly alkaline in pH, Fe（OH）3was easily precipitated from the solution and distributed around the Si-rich core.

Characteristics of Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of hydrothermal Si-Fe-Mn-oxyhydroxides at the PACMANUS hydrothermal field, Eastern Manus Basin

Si-Fe-Mn-oxyhydroxides dredged at the PACMANUS （Papua New Guinea-Australia-Canada-Manus） hydrothermal field, Eastern Manus Basin, have 87Sr/SSSr=0.708 079-0.708 581; eNd=5.149 833-6.534 826; 208pb/204pb=38.245-38.440; 207pb/204pb=lS.503-15.560; 206pb/204pb=lS.682-18.783. s7sr/sSSr isotope ratios are relatively homogeneous and close to the value of the surrounding seawater （0.709 16）. The content of Sr in the samples contributed by seawater was estimated to be 76.7%-83.1% of total amount. The mixing temperature of hydrothermal fluids and seawater were ranging from 53.2℃ to 72.2℃ and the hydrothermal activities were unstable when the samples precipitated. The eNd values of all the samples are positive, which differ from the values of ferromanganese nodules （crusts） with hydrogenic origin. Nd was mainly derived from substrate rocks leached by hydrothermal circulation and preserved the hydrothermal signature. Ph isotopic compositions of most samples show minor variability except Sample #9-2 that has relatively high values of Pb isotopes. The Pb may be derived from the Eastern Manus Basin rocks leached by the hydrothermal fluid. The slightly lower 28pb/204pb and 207pb/204pb values of the samples indicated that the hydrothermal circulation in PACMANUS was not entire and sufficient, or that hydrothermal circulation had transient changes in the past. Si-Fe-Mn-oxyhydroxides in the samples preserved the heterogeneities of local rocks.