Successive phases of serpentinization and carbonation recorded in the Sivas ophiolite (Turkey), from oceanic crust accretion to post-obduction alteration

Abstract

The ophiolite of Sivas (Turkey) was studied in order to define the chronology of different alteration events related to a series of serpentinization and carbonation episodes. Six samples were investigated, representative of different types of ophicalcite (partially carbonated serpentinite). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Mössbauer spectroscopy were used to determine the bulk mineralogy and the bulk Fe3+/Fetot ratio, respectively. Electron microprobe and secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) analyses were also conducted to identify the chemical composition of different mineral phases in addition to the carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of calcite. An initial, i.e. pre-obduction, phase of olivine and pyroxene serpentinization was followed by a brecciation event associated with precipitation of massive serpentine. This first alteration event occurred during exhumation of the peridotites to the seafloor, followed by a carbonation event at temperatures in the range 35‒100 °C. A low-temperature (∼35 °C) carbonation event occurred between 90 and 65 Ma. Finally, a reheating of the system likely occurred after the obduction at 55‒40 Ma, resulting in a carbonation episode followed by late serpentinization. Our study presents the first direct evidence of serpentinization after obduction. In that geological context, the hydrogen produced during the proposed multiphase serpentinization may have been trapped by the salt deposits overlying the ophiolite but subsurface data will be necessary to define potential traps and reservoirs; further studies are also needed to determine whether the serpentinization process is still ongoing.