Projects

This project aims to investigate the physicochemical controls on MVT ore formation in foreland basins by integrating petrological and geochemical datasets with advanced thermodynamic reaction-transport models. The geochemical modeling will provide a basis for quantifying fluid fluxes in and out of ore deposits, enabling an assessment of CO₂ entrapment during ore formation and associated secondary mineral precipitation. Targeted field sites include world-class Zn-Pb MVT deposits in the Aquitaine Basin (Southern France) and the Ebro Foreland Basin (Northwest Spain). Petrological data (e.g., alteration mineralogy and extent of alteration zones) and geochemical data (e.g., chemical and isotopic composition of alteration minerals and vein-filling material) will be integrated into multi-dimensional (1D, 2D, and 3D) reaction-transport models using software such as GEMS, PhreeqC, PHAST, and TOUGHREACT. This integration of natural datasets with modeling calculations will elucidate the chemical processes driving ore formation and characterize the physicochemical properties of ore-forming fluids. Furthermore, combining steady-state (equilibrium) reaction-transport models with multi-dimensional (kinetic) reaction-transport and flow models will enable an investigation of key controls—such as host rock composition, fluid evolution, permeability, temperature, and pressure—on ore formation along fluid flow paths. This approach will also facilitate the estimation of fluid entrapment and release fluxes in MVT deposits.

The project aims to analyze the chemical and isotopic composition of vein-filling materials and alteration halos along former fluid pathways to determine fluid origins in foreland basins and investigate element transport mechanisms within flow networks and adjacent host rocks. Advanced analytical tools, including LA-ICP-MS/MS and SIMS, will be employed. Targeted field sites include Great Cumbrae island near the Highland Boundary Fault in the Southern Scottish Highlands and the northern Variscan Front in Belgium, where complex fluid networks with distinctive reaction halos are exposed in sedimentary rocks. The extent of reaction fronts and halos tapering former fluid pathways at these sites will be analyzed to constrain fluid flow rates and determine whether fluid expulsion into foreland basins occurs as continuous flow or in rapid pulses. To achieve this, 1D and 2D transport equations will be developed to model fluid advection along a single fracture and transverse diffusion outward from the fracture. These models will enable calculations of time-averaged fluid velocities and the duration of fluid flow along brittle fractures.

This project targets to re-examine metabasaltic sills in the SW Scottish Highlands to identify reaction fronts formed dominantly through matter diffusion from adjacent metapelites. These reaction fronts will be used to delineate the true extent of metamorphic fluid penetration and to calculate time-integrated and time-averaged fluid fluxes. Additionally, reaction textures in mineralogically and chemically zoned metabasaltic sills will be analyzed to elucidate mineral dissolution and precipitation processes. These processes may have enriched or depleted metamorphic fluids in elements of economic significance, particularly those associated with orogenic ore deposits (e.g., gold (Au) deposits). This project aims to evaluate the roles of anisotropies and brittle-ductile processes in controlling the spatial extent and volume of metamorphic fluid flow. Multi-dimensional advective and diffusive flow models will be developed to investigate the mechanisms of reaction front formation and propagation, providing constraints on the timescales of metamorphic fluid events. The findings will offer new insights into the spatial and temporal dynamics of metamorphic fluid flow during orogenesis. Additionally, deciphering fluid-rock interactions in these systems will advance our understanding of metal enrichment processes in fluids associated with metamorphism.

Despitethe large impact of human activity on the global S cycle, the natural S fluxesfrom oceans and lithosphere to atmosphere may be still poorly constrained.Especially in mid-ocean ridges (MORs), estimating the mantle-derived S flux tothe surface remains a challenge due to (1) a lack of data on S concentrations inbasaltic glasses, (2) variable S sources obscuring a possible mantle origin and(3) unknown amounts of S sequestrated in the oceanic crust upon fluid-rockinteraction. This project aims to determine the sources and fluxes of S withina MORs using the Icelandic crust as an analogue. In conjunction withgeochemical isotope modelling and state-of-the-art mass spectrometrictechniques, S concentrations, along with isotope compositions (S, Fe, O) in thermalfluids, bulk rock, pyrite and anhydrite will be used to constrain the fluxesfrom different sources (e.g. seawater, rock leaching) of S at MORs. Furthermore,the potential of fluid-rock interaction in hydrothermal systems along MORs ofpermanently fixing S by mineral formation upon fluid-rock interaction will beinvestigated. Remelting of such modified oceanic crust within subduction zones mightgreatly affect the S isotopic values of melts, volcanic gasses and geothermalfluids in volcanic arcs. Findings of this study will also have an impact onongoing research on sequestration of anthropogenic S within the Earth’s crust.

Fluids play a critical role in the evolution and chemical modification of the Earth’s crust. They control heat and mass transfer, mineral reactions, and deformation processes. The movement and physio/chemical interaction of aqueous geofluids with rocks in the Earth’s upper crust is thereby fundamental for critical raw material mineralisation and the formation of geothermal fluid flow systems. With the rapidly increasing global demand for raw materials, the EU faces significant challenges regarding its dependencies on access to raw materials. Fluid movement in the upper crust is, by its nature, controlled by an interaction of physical and chemical processes that can operate from the tectonic plate to the microscopic ‘rock grain’ scales. Fully understanding these complex systems inherently requires a multidisciplinary/multiscale approach using cutting edge structural geology, mineralogy/petrology, geochemical and geophysical tools. ForMovFluid proposes to adopt new and existing laboratory and field techniques in these geoscience subdisciplines to address key knowledge gaps related to fluid flow drivers, pathways, and fluid/rock reactions. In doing so, the objective of ForMovFluid is to train 15 doctoral researchers in cutting edge geoscience field and laboratory techniques and broader professional skills to develop future leaders in the field. This will contribute significantly to addressing the climate emergency by developing novel solutions for the energy transition that hinges on enhanced access to hydrothermal-hosted critical metal deposits, as highlighted in the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. The aims of ForMovFluid are to further our understanding of the movement and physio/chemical interaction of aqueous fluids with rocks in a variety of tectonic settings in the Earth’s upper crust, and to establish a long-term pan-sector research network that will go on to contribute to European geofluid research and to underpin Europe’s raw material and geothermal sectors.