Evolution of fluid redox in a fault zone of the Pic de Port Vieux thrust in the Pyrenees Axial Zone (Spain)

Abstract

In mountain ranges, crustal-scale faults localize multiple episodes of deformation. It is therefore common to observe current or past geothermal systems along these structures. Understanding the fluid circulation channelized in fault zones is essential to characterize the thermochemical evolution of associated hydrothermal systems. We present a study of a palaeo-system of the Pic de Port Vieux thrust fault. This fault is a second-order thrust associated with the Gavarnie thrust in the Axial Zone of the Pyrenees. The study focused on phyllosilicates which permit the constraint of the evolution of temperature and redox of fluids at the scale of the fault system. Combined X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) on synkinematic chlorite, closely linked to microstructural observations, were performed in both the core and damage zones of the fault zone. Regardless of the microstructural position, chlorite from the damage zone contains iron and magnesium (Fetotal / (Fetotal + Mg) about 0.4), with Fe3+ accounting for about 30 % of the total iron. Chlorite in the core zone is enriched in total iron, but individual Fe3+/Fetotal ratios range from 15 % to 40 %, depending on the microstructural position of the grain. Homogeneous temperature conditions about 280–290 °C have been obtained by chlorite thermometry. A scenario is proposed for the evolution of fluid–rock interaction conditions at the scale of the fault zone. It involves the circulation of a single hydrothermal fluid with homogeneous temperature but several redox properties. A highly reducing fluid evolves due to redox reactions involving progressive dissolution of hematite, accompanied by crystallization of Fe2+-rich and Fe3+-rich chlorite in the core zone. This study shows the importance of determining the redox state of iron in chlorite to calculate their temperature of formations and to consider the fluid evolution at the scale of a fault.