Iron and sulfide nanoparticle formation and transport in nascent hydrothermal vent plumes.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30962453.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-09580-5 and PMC identifier 6453976.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are a significant source of dissolved metals to the global oceans, producing midwater plumes enriched in metals that are transported thousands of kilometers from the vent source. Particle precipitation upon emission of hydrothermal fluids controls metal speciation and the magnitude of metal export. Here, we document metal sulfide particles, including pyrite nanoparticles, within the first meter of buoyant plumes from three high-temperature vents at the East Pacific Rise. We observe a zone of particle settling 10-20 cm from the orifice, indicated by stable sulfur isotopes; however, we also demonstrate that nanoparticulate pyrite (FeS<sub>2</sub>) is not removed from the plume and can account for over half of the filtered Fe (≤0.2 µm) up to one meter from the vent orifice. The persistence of nanoparticulate pyrite demonstrates that it is an important mechanism for near-vent Fe stabilisation and highlights the potential role of nanoparticles in element transport.