Hydrothermal Solution-Rhyolite Reaction and Origin of Sericitite in the Yukwang Mine

유문암-열수 반응과 유광 견운모 광상의 성인

The hydrothermal alteration is evaluated using multicomponent equilibrium calculations with the program CHILLER for the reactions between hydrothermal water and rhyolite at the temperature of $300^{\circ}C$ and pressure of 500 bars. The chemical-reaction model on the depositional processes of the sericitite confirms that the hydrothermal water-rock interaction(hydrothermal alteration) is the main mechanism of the sericitite formation. The principal change in the aqueous phase during the reaction is the pH increase. Overall trends for the major species are the increase in total molalities of K, Ca, $SiO_2$, Al, Mg, Fe, Na, and sulfide in solid phase with hydrothermal water-rhyolite reaction and the decrease of them in aqeous solution by precipitation of hydrothermal products. Quartz and sericite are the first minerals to form. The sequence of minerals to precipitate following them is chlorite, epidote, pyrite and microcline as water/rock ratio decreases. Although calculated results cannot duplicate the complexities of natural hydrothermal alteration, the calculation provides thermodynamic constraints on the natural process. The calculation results resemble those of experimental studies. Sericitite forms where pH decreases and water/rock ratio increases.