Viscosity of albite melt at high pressure and high temperature

 The viscosity of albite (NaAlSi₃O₈) melt was measured at high pressure by the in situ falling-sphere method using a high-resolution X-ray CCD camera and a large-volume multianvil apparatus installed at SPring-8. This system enabled us to conduct in situ viscosity measurements more accurately than that using the conventional technique at pressures of up to several gigapascals and viscosity in the order of 10⁰ Pa s. The viscosity of albite melt is 5.8 Pa s at 2.6 GPa and 2.2 Pa s at 5.3 GPa and 1973 K. Experiments at 1873 and 1973 K show that the decrease in viscosity continues to 5.3 GPa. The activation energy for viscosity is estimated to be 316(8) kJ mol⁻¹ at 3.3 GPa. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that a gradual decrease in viscosity of albite melt at high pressure may be explained by structural changes such as an increase in the coordination number of aluminum in the melt. Received: 6 January 2001 / Accepted: 27 August 2001     

First principles molecular dynamics simulations of diopside (CaMgSi2O6) liquid to high pressure

We use first principles molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory in the local density approximation to investigate CaMgSi₂O₆ liquid over the entire mantle pressure regime. We find that the liquid structure becomes much more densely packed with increasing pressure, with the mean Si-O coordination number increasing nearly linearly with volume from fourfold near ambient pressure to sixfold at the base of the mantle. Fivefold Si-O coordination environments are most abundant at intermediate compression. The properties of Mg and Si coordination environments are nearly identical to those in MgSiO₃ liquid, whereas Ca is more highly coordinated with larger mean Ca-O bond length as compared with Mg. The density increases smoothly with increasing pressure over the entire range studied. The Grüneisen parameter increases by a factor of three on twofold compression. The density contrast between diopside composition liquid and the isochemical crystalline assemblage is less than 2% at the core mantle boundary, less than that in the case of MgSiO₃. Thermodynamic properties are described in terms of a liquid-state fundamental thermodynamic relation.     

Systematics of calcium partitioning between olivine and silicate melt: implications for melt structure and calcium content of magmatic olivines

A systematic characterization of the chemical factors that control calcium partitioning between olivine and melt in a magmatic environment was undertaken using experiments performed on compositionally simple systems (CaO-MgO-SiO₂, CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂, CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-Cr₂O₃, CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-TiO₂, CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-Na₂O, CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-FeO, CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-FeO-Na₂O) over a wide range of temperature (1050–1530 °C) at one bar pressure. The calcium concentration of olivines is shown to be dependent not only on the forsterite content of the olivine but to a large extent on melt composition. For a fixed CaO content of the melt, these results show that the CaO concentration of olivine is strongly sensitive to the amount of alumina, alkali and ferrous iron present in the coexisting melt. Oxygen fugacity and temperature are not found directly to affect Ca partitioning. It is thus proposed that the systematic variations of the calcium content of olivine may be used as an “in-situ chemical potentiometer” of the lime activity of the melt. Based upon these data in synthetic systems, an empirical model describing Ca partitioning between olivine and melt is developed. When applied to natural olivines this model reproduces their Ca content, where melt composition is known, to within ±10% relative. The model may therefore be used to predict changes in melt composition during olivine crystallization and/or to assess whether an olivine is in equilibrium with its host magma. Finally, the wide range of Ca partitioning observed at fixed crystal composition confirms that minor element partitioning between crystal and melt cannot be predicted from the physical characteristics of the crystal alone, and that the non-ideality of the melt has to be taken into account. Received: 12 June 1998 / Accepted: 1 February 1999     

Experimental evidence for a relationship between liquid immiscibility and ore-formation in felsic magmas

Geological studies demonstrate that liquid immiscibility in felsic magma closely associates with the ore forming process. In order to obtain experimental evidence demonstrating the relationship between the ore forming process and liquid immiscibility in felsic magma, we carried out a series of experiments at high temperature and atmospheric pressure. The experimental results show that the granite ∼ KBF₄∼Na₂MoO₄ system is a homogeneous melt at high temperature. With decrease in temperature, however, the melt decomposes into two immiscible melts: silicate melt and ore-forming melt. The ore-forming melt exists as globules in the silicate phase. Molybdenm, Ca, Na, Mg, P, Mn, F, B, and OH are concentrated in these globules. The ore forming melt is characterized with very low SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ concentrations but the concentration of MoO₃ and CaO is very high. In contrast, the silicate melts are significantly enriched in SiO₂ and Al₂O₃, and depleted in MoO₃ and CaO. In the silicate melt the concentrations of network modifying elements (e.g. Mo, Ca, Na, P, Mg) and volatiles (F, OH) are very low. The differences between the two immiscible melts exist not only in chemical composition but also in structure. The ore-forming melt structurally consists of [MoO₄], [MoOF₄], [B(OH)₄], and OH, while the silicate melt is [Si0₄]. Because of the difference in composition and structure the two immiscible melts possess different physical properties. Compared to silicate melt, the ore-forming melt has a lower density and viscosity, which permits the globules to behave as bubbles in granite magma and to move and concentrate in the upper part of magma chamber. This process is probably responsible for the concentration of ore-forming elements in the upper part of granite bodies and their immediate aureoles. The present experimental results suggest that liquation in felsic magma can be the first step in the ore-forming process during granitoid evolution.     

Compressibility of P2O5-Al2O3-Na2SiO3 melts

The effect of composition and temperature on the relaxed adiabatic bulk modulus of melts in the P₂O₅-Al₂O ₃-Na₂SiO₃ system have been investigated in the temperature range of 1140 to 1450 °C using ultrasonic interferometric methods at frequencies of 3, 5 and 7 MHz. The density of these melts was determined using Pt-double-bob Archimedean densitometry techiques. P₂O₅ is known to dramatically affect the structure and the chemical and physical properties of granitic and pegmatitic melts as a function of the peralkalinity of the melt. The physical results of the structural changes occurring in Na₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ melt upon the addition of P₂O₅ are observed by variations in the properties such as density and compressibility. For the present peralkaline melts, the bulk modulus and density decrease with addition of 15 mol% P₂O₅, and increase with the addition of 15 mol% Al₂O₃. The addition of P₂O₅ to the present melts results in a larger increase in melt compressibility than that observed with increasing polymerization between Na₂SiO₃ and Na₂Si₂O₅ melts. This would suggest that not only is the polymerization of the melt increasing with the addition of P₂O₅ (Mysen et al. 1981; Nelson and Tallant 1984; Gan and Hess 1992), but that the tetrahedrally co-ordinated phosphorus complexes are influencing the bond lengths and energies within the melt structure; resulting in the structure becoming more compressible than expected, although incompressible (Vaughan and Weidner 1987) tetrahedral P₂O₅ polyhedra (Mysen et al. 1981; Gan and Hess 1992; Toplis et al. 1994) are being added to the melt structure.     

The effect of phosphorus on the iron redox ratio,viscosity, and density of an evolved ferro-basalt

Despite the abundant evidence for the enrichment of phosphorus during the petrogenesis of natural ferro-basalts, the effect of phosphorus on the physical properties of these melts is poorly understood. The effects of phosphorus on the viscosity, density and redox ratio of a ferro-basaltic melt have been determined experimentally. The viscosity measurements were obtained using the concentric cylinder method on a ferro-basaltic melt above its liquidus, at 1 atm, in equilibrium with air and with CO₂. The density measurements were performed using the double Pt-bob Archimedean method at superliquidus conditions under 1 atm of air. The redox ratio was obtained by wet chemical analysis of samples collected during physical property measurements. Phosphorus pentoxide reduces ferric iron in ferro-basaltic melt. The reduction due to P₂O₅ is much larger than that for most other oxide components in basaltic melts. A coefficient for the reduction of ferric iron has been generated for inclusion in calculation schemes. The effect of P₂O₅ on the viscosity is shown to be complex. The initial reduction of ferric iron with the addition of P₂O₅ results in a relatively small change in viscosity, while further addition of P₂O₅ results in a strong increase. The addition of phosphorus to a ferro-basaltic melt also reduces the density. A partial molar volume of 64.5±0.7 cm³/mol for P₂O₅ in this melt has been obtained at 1300° C, yielding a volume of 12.9 cm³/mol per oxygen, consistent with a tetrahedral coordination for this high field strength cation. The effects of P₂O₅ on redox state, density and viscosity provide constraints on the structural role of phosphorus in these melts. The results suggest a complex interaction of phosphorus with the aluminosilicate network, and tetrahedral ferric iron. In light of the significant effects of phosphorus on the physical and chemical properties of ferro-basaltic liquids, and the extreme enrichments possible in these liquids in nature, the role of phosphorus in these melts should, in future, be considered more carefully.     

Periodic ab initio Hartree-Fock study of trigonal and orthorhombic phases of boric oxides

The structure and electronic properties of trigonal and orthorhombic boric oxide (B₂O₃) are studied using periodic ab initio Hartree-Fock method. The optimised structural parameters for two B₂O₃ polymorphs are in good agreement with experimental data. The analyses of their electronic structures provide insights into the chemical nature of the B–O bond and the way in which it changes with the coordination number around boron and oxygen. Our quantum-chemical study suggests that the orthorhombic form is more ionic than the trigonal form and that the coordination number of boron around oxygen plays a more dominant role than that of oxygen around boron in B₂O₃ crystals.     

The composition of melt and fluid inclusions in spinel of peridotite xenoliths from Avacha volcano (Kamchatka)

This work considers the studies of melt and fluid inclusions in spinel of ultramafic rocks in the mantle wedge beneath Avacha volcano (Kamchatka). The generations of spinel were identified: 1 is spinel (Sp-I) of the “primary” peridotites, has the highest magnesium number (#0.69–0.71), highest contents of Al₂O₃ and lowest contents of Cr₂O₃ (26.2–27.1 and 37.5–38.5 wt %, respectively), and the absence in it of any fluid and melt inclusions; 2 is spinel (Sp-II) of the recrystallized peridotites, has lower magnesium number (Mg# 0.64–0.61) and the content of Al₂O₃ (18–19 wt %), a higher content of Cr₂O₃ (45.4–47.2 wt %) and the presence of primary fluid inclusions; 3 is spinel (Sp-III) that is characterized by the highest content of Cr₂O₃ (50.2–55.4 wt %), the lowest content of Al₂O₃ (13.6–16.6 wt %), and the presence of various types of primary melt inclusions. The data obtained indicate that metasomatic processing of “primary” peridotites occurred under the influence of high concentrated fluids of mainly carbonate-water-chloride composition with influx of the following petrogenic elements: Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, S, F, etc. This process was often accompanied by a local melting of the metasomatized substrate at a temperature above 1050°C with the formation of melts close to andesitic.     

Lightning-strike fusion of gabbro and formation of magnetite-bearing fulgurite, Cornone di Blumone, Adamello, Western Alps, Italy

The Adamello gabbro exposed on the summit of Cornone di Blumone, Western Alps, Italy, has been fused by lightning strikes to form magnetite-rich fulgurites produced by melting of magnetite, hornblende, calcic plagioclase and minor clinopyroxene. The composition of quench magnetite in the fulgurite is 44.4 Fe₃O₄; 27.5 MgFe₂O₄; 15.1 FeAl₂O₄; 7.9 Fe₂TiO₄; 2.5 Fe₂SiO₄; 1.9 CaFe₂O₄; 0.8 MnFe₂O₄ and is inferred to have crystallized from a low-Si, Fe-rich melt under high oxidation conditions of about 1 log unit below the log₁₀?O₂ of hematite–magnetite. The low Si, Fe-rich melt is considered to have been produced from fusion of magnetite + hornblende-rich areas of the host gabbro and/or possible separation of an immiscible high Fe₂O₃/FeO Fe-rich, low-Si melt from a more siliceous glass during superheating. Skeletal-dendritic morphologies of magnetite in the fulgurite indicate crystallization under conditions of extreme supercooling. Juxtaposition of areas exhibiting different growth habits and crystal sizes of magnetite may reflect compositionally different local melt domains and/or small differences in the delicate balance between nucleation and growth in domains that had slightly different, although ultrafast, cooling rates.     

The combined effects of ƒO2 and melt composition on SnO2 solubility and tin diffusivity in haplogranitic melts

The diffusion profile method has been employed to measure tin diffusion coefficients and SnO₂ solubility in water-saturated, peralkaline to peraluminous haplogranitic melts at 850°C, 2 kbar, and log ƒ_O2 conditions ranging from FMQ - 0.57 to FMQ + 3.49. At reduced conditions cassiterite is highly soluble and tin is present dominantly as a Sn²⁺ species, whereas at oxidized conditions SnO₂ is much less soluble, and tin is present dominantly as a Sn⁴⁺ species. There is a strong melt composition control on SnO₂ solubility; solubilities are at a minimum at the subaluminous composition, increase strongly with alkali content in peralkaline compositions and weakly with Al content in peraluminous compositions. In the case of the latter, this increase can only be distinguished at reduced conditions, e.g., at a log ƒ_O2 of FMQ - 0.57 cassiterite solubility increases from 2.78 to 4.11 wt% SnO₂ for melt with Al/(Na + K)compositions (A.S.I.) of 1.0 and 1.2, respectively. At oxidized conditions SnO₂ solubility is 500 ppm for both the A.S.I. 1.0 and 1.2 compositions. By comparison Sn0₂ solubilities in the most peralkaline composition investigated range from 3.94 wt% to -10 wt% Sn02, for the most oxidized to the most reduced conditions, respectively. Thermodynamic modelling of the data indicates that the Sn⁴⁺/ΣSn ratio in the melt is also at a minimum at the subaluminous composition, ranging from 0.4 at log ƒ_O2 of FMQ + 3.49 to 0.01 at FMQ - 0.57. Over the same log foZ range the Sn⁴⁺/ΣSn ratio for the A.S.I. 0.6 composition ranges from 0.98 to 0.4 and for the A.S.I. 1.25 composition, from 0.8 to 0.02.Tin diffusivity is dependent on both f_O2 and melt composition. The effective binary diffusion coefficient of tin at reduced conditions is approximately 10^−7.5 cm²/sec for the peraluminous compositions and 10^−8.2 cm²/sec for the peralkaline compositions. At oxidized conditions these values decrease to approximately 10^−8.2 and 10^−9.0 cm²/sec, respectively. These are interpreted to reflect relatively fast diffusion where Sn²⁺ is the dominant valence and tin in this case behaves similar to a network modifier and relatively slow diffusion where Sn⁴⁺ is dominant and tin likely has a lower coordination number. Alternatively, the coordination of Sn²⁺ and Sn⁴⁺ is the same, but the bond strengths are different. At fixed f_O2 the faster diffusivity in the peraluminous compositions reflects the lower Sn⁴⁺/Sn²⁺ ratio. The fact the Sn⁴⁺/Sn²⁺ ratio in melts varies greatly with ƒ_O2 at redox conditions near FMQ suggests that the partitioning behaviour of tin possibly changes during the evolution of an igneous suite in general and of a peraluminous granite suite in particular.     

A model for silicate melt viscosity in the system CaMgSi2O6-CaAl2Si2O8-NaAlSi3O8

Five hundred eighty-five viscosity measurements on 40 melt compositions from the ternary system CaMgSi₂O₆ (Di)-CaAl₂Si₂O₈ (An)-NaAlSi₃O₈ (Ab) have been compiled to create an experimental database spanning a wide range of temperatures (660-2175°C). The melts within this ternary system show near-Arrhenian to strongly non-Arrhenian properties, and in this regard are comparable to natural melts. The database is used to produce a chemical model for the compositional and temperature dependence of melt viscosity in the Di-An-Ab system. We use the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation (VFT: log η = A + B/(T − C)) to account for the temperature dependence of melt viscosity. We also assume that all silicate melts converge to a common viscosity at high temperature. Thus, A is independent of composition, and all compositional dependence resides in the parameters B and C. The best estimate for A is −5.06, which implies a high-temperature limit to viscosity of 10^-5.06 Pa s. The compositional dependence of B and C is expressed by 12 coefficients (b_i=1,2.6, c_j=1,2..6) representing linear (e.g., b_i=1:3) and higher order, nonlinear (e.g., b_i=4:6) contributions. Our results suggest a near-linear compositional dependence for B (<10% nonlinear) and C (<7% nonlinear). We use the model to predict model VFT functions and to demonstrate the systematic variations in viscosity due to changes in melt composition. Despite the near linear compositional dependence of B and C, the model reproduces the pronounced nonlinearities shown by the original data, including the crossing of VFT functions for different melt compositions. We also calculate values of T_g for melts across the Di-An-Ab ternary system and show that intermediate melt compositions have T_g values that are depressed by up to 100°C relative to the end-members Di-An-Ab. Our non-Arrhenian viscosity model accurately reproduces the original database, allows for continuous variations in rheological properties, and has a demonstrated capacity for extrapolation beyond the original data.     

The structural role and homogeneous redox equilibria of iron in peraluminous,metaluminous and peralkaline silicate melts

The compositional dependence of the redox ratio (FeO/FeO_1.5) has been experimentally determined in K₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-Fe₂O₃-FeO (KASFF) and K₂O-CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-Fe₂O₃-FeO (KCASFF) silicate melts. Compositions were equilibrated at 1,450° C in air, with 78 mol % SiO₂. KASFF melts have from 1 to 5 mol % Fe₂O₃ and include both peraluminous (K₂O2O₃) and peralkaline (K₂O>Al₂O₃) compositions. KCASFF melts have 1 mol % Fe₂O₃ encompassing peraluminous, metaluminous (CaO+K₂O>Al₂O₃) and peralkaline compositions. Peralkaline KASFF melts with 1 mol % Fe₂O₃ have low and constant values for the redox ratio, whereas in peraluminous melts the redox ratio increases with increasing (K₂O/Al₂O₃). Increasing total iron concentration increases the redox ratio in peraluminous melts and slightly decreases the redox ratio in peralkaline melts. Substituting CaO for K₂O at fixed total iron (1 mol %) increases the redox ratio in both peraluminous and metaluminous KCASFF melts; however, the redox ratio in peralkaline KCASFF melts is not affected by this exchange. These data indicate that Fe³⁺ is in four-fold coordination, with K⁺ or Ca²⁺ providing local charge balance. The tetrahedral ferric species is most stable in peralkaline melts and least stable in peraluminous melts, due to the competition between Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ for charge balancing cations in the latter melt. Tetrahedral Fe³⁺ is also less stable when Ca²⁺ provides local charge balance. The data are consistent with a network modifying role for Fe²⁺ in the melt.The data are interpreted to reflect the effects of melt composition on the partitioning of K⁺ and Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺ and Al³⁺ between various species in the melt. These relationships are discussed in terms of homogeneous equilibria between various iron-bearing and iron-free melt species. The results also reflect the effect of liquid composition on the exchange potentials Fe³⁺ Al_–1 and Ca_0.5K_–1. The exchange potentials are relatively constant in peralkaline melts, but decrease in metaluminous and peraluminous melts as both (CaO+K₂O)/(CaO+K₂O+Al₂O₃) and K₂O/CaO decrease. These qualitative observations imply that minerals exhibiting these exchanges will also be similarly affected as liquid composition changes. Present address: Department of Geological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA     

Melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts in unaltered kimberlites from the Udachnaya-East pipe,Yakutia: Some aspects of kimberlite magma evolution during late crystallization stages

The results of a complex study of melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts contained in unaltered kimberlites from the Udachnaya-East pipe indicate that the inclusions were captured late during the magmatic stage, perhaps, under a pressure of <1 kbar and a temperature of ≤800°C. The inclusions consist of fine crystalline aggregates (carbonates + sulfates + chlorides) + gas ± crystalline phases. Minerals identified among the transparent daughter phases of the inclusions are silicates (tetraferriphlogopite, olivine, humite or clinohumite, diopside, and monticellite), carbonates (calcite, dolomite, siderite, northupite, and Na-Ca carbonates), Na and K chlorides, and alkali sulfates. The ore phases are magnetite, djerfisherite, and monosulfide solid solution. The inclusions are derivatives of the kimberlite melt. The complex silicate-carbonate-salt composition of the secondary melt inclusions in olivine from the kimberlite suggests that the composition of the kimberlite melt near the surface differed from that of the initial melt composition in having higher contents of CaO, FeO, alkalis, and volatiles (CO₂, H₂O, F, Cl, and S) at lower concentrations of SiO₂, MgO, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, and TiO₂. Hence, when crystallizing, the kimberlite melt evolved toward carbonatite compositions. The last derivatives of the kimberlite melt had an alkaline carbonatite composition.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of pressure and temperature effects on MgSiO3 and Mg2SiO4 melts and glasses

Ab-initio interionic potentials for Mg²⁺, Si⁴⁺, and O^2– have been used in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate diffusivity changes, pressure-induced structural transitions, and temperature effects on polymerization in MgSiO₃ and Mg₂SiO₄ melts and glasses. The potential gives reasonable agreement with the 0.1 MPa radial distribution function of MgSiO₃ glass. Maxima in the diffusion coefficients of Si⁴⁺ and O^2– occur as pressure is increased on the MgSiO₃ melt. The controlling structural mechanism for this behavior is the Q¹ species of SiO₄ tetrahedra. Mg²⁺ diffusion coefficients decrease monotonically with pressure in both melt compositions. Increasing Mg²⁺ coordination number and population of 3- and 4-membered SiO₄ rings with pressure combine to hinder translation of the Mg²⁺ ions. The dominant changes in structure with pressure are a decrease in the intertetrahedral (Si-O--Si) angle up to approximately 4 g/cm³ and coordination changes of the ions above this density. Temperature effects on viscosity in these simulated melts are indirectly studied by analyzing polymerization changes with temperature. Polymerization and coordination numbers increase with decreasing temperature and a small quench rate effect is observed. Fair agreement is found between the MD simulations and experimental equation of state for Mg₂SiO₄, but the equation of state predictions for MgSiO₃ melts are much less accurate. The zero pressure volume, V ₀, is significantly higher and K ₀ is lower in the simulations than empirical values. The inadequacies reflect error in using the ionic approximation for polymerized systems and a need to collect more data for a variety of molecular configurations in the development of ab-initio potentials.     

Structure and Composition Effects on the Oxygen Isotope Fractionation in Silicate Melts

The influence of melt composition and structure on the oxygen isotope fractionation was studied for the multicomponent (SiO₂ ± TiO₂ + Al₂O₃ ± Fe₂O₃ + MgO ± CaO) system at 1500°C and 1 atm. The experiments show that significant oxygen isotope effects can be observed in silicate melts even at such high temperature. It is shown that the ability of silicate melt to concentrate ¹⁸O isotope is mainly determined by its structure. In particular, an increase of the NBO/T ratio in the experimental glasses from 0.11 to 1.34 is accompanied by a systematic change of oxygen isotope difference between melt and internal standard by values from–0.85 to +1.29‰. The obtained data are described by the model based on mass-balance equations and the inferred existence of O⁰, O^–, and O^2– (bridging, non-bridging, and free oxygen) ions in the melts. An application of the model requires the intra-structure isotope fractionation between bridging and non-bridging oxygens. Calculations show that the intra-structure isotope fractionation in our experiments is equal to 4.2 ± 1.0‰. To describe the obtained oxygen isotope effects at the melts relatively to temperature and fraction of non-bridging oxygen a general equation was proposed.     

Vanadium pentoxide as a high-temperature solvent for phase equilibrium studies in CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2

Molten high-temperature solvents can provide major kinetic advantages in phase equilibrium studies of silicate systems, by markedly enhancing rates of crystal growth and chemical reaction. Experience gained in a study of cation partitioning between ortho-and clinopyroxene at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure suggests that an ideal solvent would combine the following properties: high solubilities for component oxides of silicates, with minimum temperature dependence; no formation of oxide-solvent compounds with melting points above that of the pure solvent; minimal incorporation of solvent components into the crystalline phases of interest; ease of chemical separation of crystalline phases from quenched solvent-rich melt; low volatility and viscosity; density close to that of the crystalline phases; and high surface tension against encapsulation materials, typically platinum. Maximum kinetic benefits of the technique are derived only when the composition of saturated solvent-rich melt is carefully determined as a function of temperature, so that melt-to-crystal ratios in experimental charges can be raised to high values. V₂O₅ is one solvent suitable for studies involving olivine, pyroxenes, and plagioclase in the system CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ and its subsystems.     

Dynamics of Na in sodium aluminosilicate glasses and liquids

²³Na NMR measurements on Na₂Si₃O₇, Na₃AlSi₆O₁₅, and NaAlSi₃O₈ glasses from room temperature to 1200°C show that the dynamics and local structure of sodium in silicate/aluminosilicate glasses and melts vary with composition and temperature.The peak positions decrease in frequency between room temperature and 200°C indicating that the Na sees a larger average site as temperature is increased. Between 200°–300° and 700°C, line widths, nutation frequencies and peak positions are consistent with motional averaging of quadrupolar satellites. Above 700°C there is little or no change in the peak positions with temperature. Chemical shifts of the materials at 1000°C (Na₂Si₃O₇: 3.6; Na₃AlSi₆O₁₅:-1.3; NaAlSi₃O₈:-6.4 ppm) indicate a slight change in the average Na coordination number from 6–7 for the silicate to 7–8 for the aluminosilicates.     

Determination of activities in silicate melts by Knudsen cell mass spectrometry—I. The system NaAlSi3O8-KAlSi3O8

The mixing properties of aluminosilicate melts in the pseudobinary system NaAlSi₃O₈-KAlSi ₃O₈ have been determined by measuring the compositions of their saturated vapours by hightemperature Knudsen cell mass spectrometry. The melts mix close to ideally over most of the composition range with small positive deviations from ideality for K-rich compositions. These may be related to incipient partial ordering of melt constituents into leucite-like and SiO₂-like structures above the feldspar liquidus.     

高温高压条件下实验变形石英闪长岩微观结构与熔体特征研究

本文以高温高压条件下石英闪长岩流变实验样品为研究对象,利用偏光显微镜进行微观结构观察,研究了样品在实验温度压力条件下的变形机制与斜长石结构对流变强度的影响;通过透射电镜能谱与电子探针,分析了熔体分布和成分特征,讨论了角闪石脱水熔融的影响因素与脱水熔融对岩石流变的影响。结果表明,随着温度升高,岩石从脆塑性过渡域逐渐向高温位错攀移和动态重结晶为主的塑性域转化。在高温条件下,角闪石出现了脱水与部分熔融,脱水熔融的熔体分布和成分体现出非均匀与非平衡熔融的特点,空间分布上,熔体主要出现在角闪石和黑云母矿物颗粒的边缘以及角闪石和长石颗粒之间的区域内;成分分布上,熔体的成分与参与熔融的矿物成分密切相关。角闪石边缘的熔体和黑云母边缘的熔体具有低硅铝、高铁镁特征,斜长石边缘的熔体具有高硅铝、低铁镁的特征,处于角闪石和斜长石颗粒中间的熔体,其成分间于斜长石与角闪石成分之间。实验中出现的非平衡非均匀部分熔融可以解释混合岩中的浅色体与暗色体的成因,富硅熔体可以形成富硅铝的花岗质岩石,而贫硅富铁镁的熔体可以形成基性岩。角闪石的脱水熔融程度依赖于样品的封闭条件,处于封闭环境的样品,角闪石不易脱水熔融,而处于开放环境时,角闪石脱水熔融显著。拆离断层带及其附近具备这样的开放环境,有利于角闪石发生脱水熔融。实验力学数据和微观结构显示,随机分布的斜长石对岩石强度影响并不明显,但斜长石的长轴方向与最大主应力方向呈大角度相交(近90°)会显著强化岩石的强度,这意味着岩石组构与主应力方向大角度相交或呈垂直方向时,不利于岩石变形和拆离断层的形成,反之,均匀岩石或岩石组构与最大主应力方向小角度相交,有利于岩石的变形,容易发育拆离断层。