Hydrothermal processes along mid-ocean ridges

Hydrothermal processes along mid-ocean ridges

Sabina Strmic Palinkas

Hydrothermal vents along mid-ocean ridges are locations of an intensive ore-forming activity and represent ideal sites to study modern analogues of ancient volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. The main goal of the project is to get better insight into recent hydrothermal processes, combing fluid inclusion studies with mineral chemistry, stable isotopes and thermodynamic modelling, and to apply gained knowledge to explore and better understand onshore VMS deposits as important sources of numerous critical metals, including metals essential for green energy technologies.

The project is funded by Equinor Akademiaavtale.

The project team:

Sabina Strmic Palinkas (Project leader)

Eszter Sendula (Postdoc, UiT)

Carly Faber (Researcher, UiT)

Fredrik Sahlström (Postdoc, UiT)

Professor Robert J. Bodnar (Professor II, UiT; Virginia Tech, USA)

Professor Rolf Birger Pedersen (Professor, University of Bergen, Norway)


Fluid inclusion and melt inclusion lab at Department of Geosciences

The fluid inclusion laboratory at the Department of Geosciences, UiT, is equipped with two  Linkam THMS600 heating-freezing stages and with a Linkam TS1400XY heating stage. The facilities are suitable for studies of fluid and melt inclusions in a temperature range from -180 up to +1300°C. An infrared Olympus BX-53 microscope equipped with an InGaAs infrared camera sensitive to 2200 nm allows petrographical and microthermometrical studies in various opaque minerals, including pyrite, Fe-rich sphalerite, stibnite, tourmaline, etc. The ultraviolet setup allows determination of hydrocarbon bearing inclusions.

In collaboration with the Department of Physics and Technology, we run a confocal Renishaw micro-Raman system  for determination of volatiles and solid phases entrapped in fluid and melt inclusions.

Our expertise covers a broad range of magmatic-hydrothermal and hydrothermal mineral deposits, including porphyry Cu-Au deposits, orogenic Au deposits, sediment-hosted Cu deposits, base metals skarns, Carlin-like deposits, epithermal Au deposits, VMS and recent submarine hydrothermal deposits, as well as in pegmatites.

At the Department of Geosciences we also have the sample preparation equipment for complete preparation of double-polished fluid and melt inclusion wafers.

Contact: sabina.s.palinkas@uit.no



Page administrator: Strmic Palinkas, Sabina
Last updated: 15.08.2022 10:27