Abstract
The sulfide mineralogy, sulfur contents, and sulfur isotopic compositions were determined for a section through the Troodos Ophiolite, Cyprus, as represented by Cyprus Crustal Study Project drillholes Cy-2a and Cy-4. The composite section includes volcanics altered at low temperature, a subsurface sulfide mineralization, hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes, and underlying gabbros. The volcanics average 400 ppm S, and contain sulfide with δ34S = +4%, consistent with a possible primary arc-like sulfur source. The sulfide mineralization in CY-2a ranges up to 45 wt% S, and pyrites have uniform δ345 values of 6.4 ± 0.4%. The hydrothermally altered rocks in the underlying feeder zone contain an average of 3.5% S, and pyrites have δ345 values averaging +5.9 ± 0.9%. The δ34S values of the mineralization and underlying rocks are consistent with mixtures of 15-35% Cretaceous seawater sulfur +17%) plus sulfur remobilized from elsewhere in the ophiolite. Gabbros of hole Cy-4 contain 10-1270 ppm S, having both gained and lost S through hydrothermal alteration.The δ34S values of sulfide generally range from +0.2 to +7.7%. The lower values are consistent with primary MORB-like sulfur, and the higher values reflect local incorporation of seawater-derived sulfur during hydrothermal alteration, and the possible presence of arc-like primary sulfur (+4 to +5%).
Overall, processes affecting sulfur in the Troodos ophiolite are generally similar to those occurring in oceanic crust. Theδ34Svalues for the Troodos section average around +5% and are higher than those for oceanic crust, however, which average around 0 to +1L. The δ34S-enrichment of ophiolitic crust is attributed to incorporation of greater amounts of seawater-derived S in the ophiolite, plus the possibility of a component of δ34S-enriched arc-like primary sulfur.
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Alt, J.C. (1991). Sulfur Isotopic Profile Through the Troodos Ophiolite, Cyprus: Preliminary Results and Implications. In: Peters, T., Nicolas, A., Coleman, R.G. (eds) Ophiolite Genesis and Evolution of the Oceanic Lithosphere. Petrology and Structural Geology, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3358-6_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3358-6_21
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