Abstract:
Zeolite is an abundant component of pelagic sediments and the occurrence of zeolite minerals in submarine environments has been the topic of considerable discussion in mineralogical research. Sediment samples were collected from subseafloor cores CJ09 and CJ14 drilled during the DY46 Expedition in the East Southern Pacific Ocean in 2018, the occurrence, composition, and texture of dominant zeolite minerals were analyzed and characterized using polarizing microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction. Results show that phillipsite was the unique zeolite subgroup and phillipsite-K is the dominant species, and they coexisted with other minerals, including calcite, smectite, illite, sanidine, andesine, labradorite, apatite, barite, and witherite, also small amounts of phillipsite-Na, phillipsite-K, and abundant iron manganese (hydr) oxides. The phillipsites vary in shape from straight columnar, rossete, cruciform twinning to radiating or irregular aggregates; most crystals are prismatic or spherulitic, 10~200 μm in diameter, and generally show well-developed crystal terminations around their periphery. In addition, their genetic types were summarized in elemental composition, microtexture, and mineral association. These analyses provide detailed information of the precursor materials, media solutions, occurrences, and origins of the phillipsites.