Hole 1205A was drilled on Nintoku Seamount, which lies in the midportion of the Emperor Seamount Chain. This seamount was emergent similar to 56 Myr ago but was submerged by 54 Ma, so the lavas have endured weathering in both subaerial and submarine environments. We have studied the petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of intercalated altered basalts, breccias, and soil samples recovered at Hole 1205A to quantify the chemical exchanges between the seamount and seawater and/ or meteoric fluids. The secondary mineralogy is relatively uniform throughout the section and comprises smectite, Feoxyhydroxides, iddingsite, and Ca-carbonates. Soils are composed of variably altered basaltic clasts in a matrix of kaolinite, smectite, and vermiculite with minor... |