Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2016

Presentation information

Oral

Symbol B (Biogeosciences) » B-PT Paleontology

[B-PT05] Decoding the history of Earth: From Hadean to Modern

Wed. May 25, 2016 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM 105 (1F)

Convener:*Tsuyoshi Komiya(Department of Earth Science & Astronomy Graduate School of Arts and Sciences The University of Tokyo), Yasuhiro Kato(Department of Systems Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo), Katsuhiko Suzuki(Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology), Chair:Masafumi Saitoh(Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology)

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM

[BPT05-15] Experimental study on H2 generation through reactions between komatiite and CO2-rich seawater

*Hisahiro Ueda1,2, Takazo Shibuya2, Yusuke Sawaki1, Masafumi Saitoh2, Ken Takai2, Shigenori Maruyama3 (1.Tokyo institute of technology, 2.JAMSTEC, 3.ELSI)

Keywords:komatiite, CO2-rich condition, hydrothermal alteration, early Earth, experiment

To understand the chemical nature of hydrothermal fluids in the komatiite-hosted seafloor hydrothermal system in the Hadean, we conducted two hydrothermal serpentinization experiments involving synthetic komatiite and a CO2-rich acidic NaCl fluid (pH = 4.9 at 25 °C) at 250 °C and 350 °C, 500 bars. During the experiments, the total carbonic acid concentration (ΣCO2) in fluids at 250 °C and 350 °C decreased from approximately values from 400 to near 30 and 170 mmol/kg, respectively, which is consistent with the greater amount of alteration carbonate mineral at 250 °C than at 350 °C in the serpentinized/carbonated komatiites (Shibuya et al., 2013). Furthermore, the precipitated carbonate species strongly influenced Mg concentration in the hydrothermal fluid: Mg concentration at 250 °C (carbonate as Fe-bearing dolomite) was 36–40 mmol/kg, which was 30–40 times higher than that at 350 °C (carbonate as calcite). Therefore, in contrast to modern seafloor hydrothermal systems, the reactions between komatiite and CO2-rich seawater at temperatures where dolomite was stable could have been the source of Mg for the Hadean ocean (e.g., Alt, 1995). More importantly, the carbonation of komatiites potentially suppressed H2 generation in the fluids. The Fe content in dolomite at 250 °C (3–8 wt%) was clearly higher than that of calcite at 350 °C (< 0.8 wt%), while the steady-state H2 concentration in the fluid was approximately 0.024 and 2.9 mmol/kg at 250 °C and 350 °C, respectively. This correlation between the Fe content in carbonate mineral and the H2 concentration in the fluid suggests that the incorporation of ferrous iron into the carbonate mineral probably limited the magnetite formation and consequent generation of hydrogen in the fluid during the serpentinization of komatiites. In comparison with modern H2-rich seafloor hydrothermal systems, the H2 concentration of the fluid in the experiment at 350 °C corresponds to that of Kairei hydrothermal field (Central Indian Ridge) (Takai et al., 2004; Gallant and Von Damm, 2006; Kumagai et al., 2008; Nakamura et al., 2009), where hydrogenotrophic methanogens dominate in the prosperous microbial ecosystem. Accordingly, the high-temperature serpentinization of komatiite would provide the H2-rich hydrothermal environments that were necessary for the emergence and early evolution of life in the Hadean ocean. In contrast, considering that carbonate minerals become more stable with decreasing temperature in the komatiite-H2O-CO2 system, H2-rich fluids may not have been generated by serpentinization at temperatures below 250 °C, even in the komatiite-hosted hydrothermal systems of the Hadean Earth.