Oxygen Isotope Study of Silica Sinter from the Osorezan Geothermal Field, Northeast Japan

Ken-ichiro Hayashi

Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/ijg.2013.410141                

Abstract

Silica sinter developed on the northern shore of Lake Usoriyama in the Osorezan geothermal field was examined for the occurrence, texture, crystallinity of silica minerals, and the concentrations of trace elements and oxygen isotopes. The silica sinter consists of a thick eastern mound (layer A) and a thin western part (layer B). Most of the silica sinter is composed of alternating bands of thin layers of silica minerals with colors varying from white to yellow and reddish gray. There is a unique stromatolitic texture, an aggregate of stratified concentric layers that extends upward and is red to reddish gray in color in the middle of layer A. Silica minerals, mainly opal-A and opal-CT, dominate the mineralogical constituents of the sinter. The δ¹⁸O of the silica mineral in layer A varies between 13‰ and 26‰, while layer B has higher values, between 19‰ and 33‰. The hydrothermal fluid from which the silica sinter precipitated is dominated by meteoric water is similar to present-day hot spring water.

Keywords

Silica Sinter; Crystallinity; Oxygen Isotope; Osorezan Geothermal Field; Trace Element

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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