Authigenic Mineral Texture in Submarine 1979 Basalt Drill Core, Surtsey Volcano, Iceland

A groundbreaking study of the 1979 Surtsey volcano, Iceland, reveals complex authigenic mineral textures in submarine basalt, offering new insights into low-temperature hydrothermal alteration. Using advanced synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction, microfluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy, researchers mapped nanocrystalline clay minerals (nontronite), zeolites, and Al-tobermorite within vesicular and fractured lapilli from drill cores at depths of 157.1 m, 137.9 m, and 102.6 m. Notably, linear microstructures with crystallographic preferred orientation—unprecedented in young basalt—were identified alongside potential biological signatures, such as degraded carbonaceous matter. These findings challenge existing models of basalt alteration, providing a mineralogical baseline for studying oceanic environments over time.

Jackson, M. D., Couper, S., Stan, C. V., Ivarsson, M., Czabaj, M. W., Tamura, N., Parkinson, D., Miyagi, L. M., & Moore, J. G. (2019). Authigenic Mineral Texture in Submarine 1979 Basalt Drill Core, Surtsey Volcano, Iceland. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 20(7), 3751–3773. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gc008304