Global Fluorine Flux Associated with Submarine Hydrothermal Fluids

Abstract:

We estimated a fluorine flux associated with hydrothermal fluid emission at mid-ocean ridges (MOR) based on vent fluid chemistry and MORB vesicle compositions. Multiplication of fluorine concentrations in submarine hydrothermal fluids and the vent fluid flux at MOR may give us an estimate of fluorine flux at MOR. A worldwide vent chemistry research [1] suggested that submarine vent fluids are depleted in fluorine (<0.74 ppm F) relative to seawater (1.29 ppm F). The global flux of submarine hydrothermal fluids of (8.0+/-2.1)x10¹⁵ g/y was calculated using a numerical Bayesian inversion procedure to explain the relationship between compositions of high-temperature hydrothermal fluids and altered sheeted dikes, which enables us to estimate fluorine flux to be less than (3.1+/-0.8)x10⁸ mol/y. This value is almost comparable with fluorine flux of (7.1+/-2.8)x10⁸ mol/y estimated using F/³He ratios in MORB vesicles and the known ³He flux at MOR [3]. This flux calculation is based on preferentially degassed components from the magma as a form of MORB vesicle, thus may be related to fluorine flux associated with hydrothermal fluid emission. However, this flux should be overestimated because seawater incursion was not considered for the calculation. The average of the two different fluxes was calculated to be (5.1+/-2.0)x10⁸ mol/y, which may be the maximum value of fluorine flux associated with hydrothermal fluid emission at MOR. It should be noted that this flux is much lower than the one estimated using the F/CO₂ ratio in the MORB source and the known CO₂ flux from the mantle [4] because the most of fluorine resides in the melt and should not be released immediately after formation of oceanic crust. Comparing MOR and arc fluxes, the global cycle of fluorine will be discussed in the presentation.

[1] German & Von Damm (2006) Treatise On Geochemistry 6 (eds Holland & Turekian) 181-222 (Elsevier, London). [2] Coogan & Dosso (2012) EPSL 323-324, 92-101. [3] Kagoshima et al. (2014) Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2014 Abstract #SGC56-P01. [4] Fischer (2008) Geochem. J. 42, 21-38.