Composition and origin of modern hydrothermal systems of the Kuril island arc

Abstract

The resent study consists the original geochemical data on the thermal waters of the Kuril Islands (Mendeleev, Golovnin, and Ebeko volcanoes) and relation between thermal waters and ore formation. Among the thermal water types three main groups can be distinguished: sodium–chloride, acid sulfate and chloride-sulfate-bicarbonate. The contents and behaviors of siderophile, chalcophile, lithophile, and rare-earth elements are discussed. These data, together with the result of isotopic studies, enumerates the origin of these waters. The high-temperature sodium-chloride waters have a profound effect on the formation of copper-pyrite mineralization on Mendeleev, Ebeko and Baransky volcanoes. The acid waters influence the processes of hypergenic ore formation