Systematic use of trace element in igneous process

This paper describes an extended application of the Rayleigh distillation law to trace element behavior in a fractional crystallization sequence. Using a trace element with a very low bulk partition coefficient as a reference (as suggested by Anderson and Greenland, 1969, and extended by Treuil and Varet, 1973), we can derive bulk partition coefficients for other elements and, in turn, the mineralogical composition of the cumulates. Trace elements with large D, such as Ni and Cr, further constrain the system, and we can deduce the initial composition of the magma. An example of this technique is shown for Terceira Island in the Azores.Contribution IPGNS no 229Now at Dept. of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA