Constraints on Fe-Ca metasomatism in mineralized mantle rocks: Insights from in-situ geochemistry and thermodynamic modeling

Ultramafic-hosted seafloor massive sulfide deposits have been reported in present-day oceanic settings for nearly thirty years. However, the development of comprehensive genetic models that account for deep-seated hydrothermal processes is largely hindered by the limited availability of seafloor observations and their reliance on large-scale geophysical studies. The Platta nappe (Swiss Alps) preserves a Jurassic hydrothermal system (the Marmorera-Cotschen Hydrothermal System; MCHS), where Cu-Fe-Co-Zn-Ni mineralization is associated with Fe-Ca silicates (ilvaite, hydrogarnet, and diopside). Petrographic analyses and thermodynamic modeling indicate that Fe-Ca metasomatism occurred between 300 and 360 °C and at low fO2 (from FMQ −6 to +1), likely coeval with early-stage serpentinization. The composition of Fe-Ca silicates (Co, Ni, and REE contents, measured by in-situ LA-ICP-MS) indicates fluid-rock interaction from an ultramafic-dominated system to an open-system, involving fluids derived from both mafic and ultramafic rocks. Mineralogical and geochemical signatures of Fe-Ca silicates in the MCHS do not support genetic relationships with common rodingitization. Our results highlight that Fe-Ca metasomatism may be a widespread deep-seated alteration along mafic–ultramafic rock contacts or in mantle rocks modified through melt-rock interaction accompanying mantle exhumation.