Clues to chondrule precursors: An investigation of vesicle formation in experimental chondrules

The absence of vesicles in chondrules and their presence in synthetic analogs yields information about the origin of chondrules. A variety of melting-crystallization experiments demonstrate the cause of vesicles in synthetic chondrules. Experiments involving the use of binding agents in sample preparation, samples with residual adsorbed moisture, incompletely melted samples, and the use of fine-grained sizesorted starting powder all generated more vesicles than experiments on control samples. Volatiles such as Na were not responsible for vesicles in our experiments because Na was not lost under our flashheating conditions. Because Wdowiak (1983) assumed chondrule precursors contained volatiles, and his electrical discharge melting generated vesicles, he suggested chondrules were not formed by flashmelting events. However, vesicle-free chondrules are to be expected with flash melting provided that the precursors were poor in highly volatile material. Flash-melting experiments with serpentine in the precursor powder developed extremely porous “popcorn” spherules, as in some meteorite ablation spherules. Chondrule precursors must have consisted of anhydrous phases assembled at low ambient gas pressure above the condensation temperature of ice. The absence of vesicles in all chondrules, including those unlikely to have been heated multiple times, e.g., ¹⁶O-rich and granular chondrules, demonstrates that their original precursors, whether interstellar dust or nebular condensates, cannot have consisted of hydrous silicates.     

The formation and chronology of the PAT 91501 impact-melt L chondrite with vesicle-metal-sulfide assemblages

The L chondrite Patuxent Range (PAT) 91501 is an 8.5-kg unshocked, homogeneous, igneous-textured impact melt that cooled slowly compared to other meteoritic impact melts in a crater floor melt sheet or sub-crater dike [Mittlefehldt D. W. and Lindstrom M. M. (2001) Petrology and geochemistry of Patuxent Range 91501 and Lewis Cliff 88663. Meteoritics Planet. Sci. 36, 439-457]. We conducted mineralogical and tomographic studies of previously unstudied mm- to cm-sized metal-sulfide-vesicle assemblages and chronologic studies of the silicate host. Metal-sulfide clasts constitute about 1 vol.%, comprise zoned taenite, troilite, and pentlandite, and exhibit a consistent orientation between metal and sulfide and of metal-sulfide contacts. Vesicles make up ∼2 vol.% and exhibit a similar orientation of long axes. ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar measurements probably date the time of impact at 4.461 ± 0.008 Gyr B.P. Cosmogenic noble gases and ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al activities suggest a pre-atmospheric radius of 40-60 cm and a cosmic ray exposure age of 25-29 Myr, similar to ages of a cluster of L chondrites. PAT 91501 dates the oldest known impact on the L chondrite parent body. The dominant vesicle-forming gas was S₂ (∼15-20 ppm), which formed in equilibrium with impact-melted sulfides. The meteorite formed in an impact melt dike beneath a crater, as did other impact melted L chondrites, such as Chico. Cooling and solidification occurred over ∼2 h. During this time, ∼90% of metal and sulfide segregated from the local melt. Remaining metal and sulfide grains oriented themselves in the local gravitational field, a feature nearly unique among meteorites. Many of these metal-sulfide grains adhered to vesicles to form aggregates that may have been close to neutrally buoyant. These aggregates would have been carried upward with the residual melt, inhibiting further buoyancy-driven segregation. Although similar processes operated individually in other chondritic impact melts, their interaction produced the unique assemblage observed in PAT 91501.     

A mineralogical investigation of some trachytic lavas and associated pegmatoids from camel's hump and turritable falls,central Victoria∗

The texture and mineral chemistry of trachytic lavas from Camel's Hump and Turntable Falls have been studied as an extension to bulk rock geochemical studies by previous workers. Three texturally distinct varieties are recognized: trachyte flows, chilled alkali trachytes, and pegmatoidal veins. Although each assemblage has a distinctive mineralogy, remnant features and similar zoning within minerals show the varieties to be related. Variations of mineral chemistry and stability within the three types are discussed. Data on the chilled alkali trachyte and the residual pegmatoidal phases indicate the development of a peralkaline residual liquid rich in volatiles. The data also provide further information on the mineralogical changes which occur as trachytic rocks become peralkaline.     

An experimental determination of the true uniaxial stress-strain behavior of brittle rock

SummaryAn Experimental Determination of the True Uniaxial Stress-Strain Behavior of Brittle Rock Results are presented of an experimental study of the behavior of six rock types deformed under uniaxial compression into their respective post-failure regions. Based on the observation that a rock sample in a post-failure state can be considered to be composed of broken and unbroken rock and assuming that the reduction in load-bearing capability of rock in the post-failure region is due to a reduction of the effective cross-sectional area of the specimen resulting from the growth of large cracks within the rock sample, we show that there is a maximum true stress that the unfractured solid rock can sustain without inelastic deformation. This stress is constant and is defined to be the true failure strength of the rock. The value of this stress is calculated by dividing the force on the rock sample at any point along the post-failure curve by the true load-bearing cross-sectional area of the rock sample at that point. Theoretical and experimental techniques are developed which allow an estimate of the true load-bearing area of the rock sample at any point along the post-failure curve of the sample. For the rock types used in the study, which were deformed to preselected positions along their respective post-failure curves and with the assumption that the fractured rock carried none of the applied load, the two techniques of measuring the effective load-bearing area give results which are equivalent.

---

ZusammenfassungExperimentelle Bestimmung des wahren Spannungs-Dehnungs-Verhaltens von sprödem Gestein Es wird über Ergebnisse experimenteller Studien über das Verhalten von sechs verschiedenen Gesteinen berichtet, welche unter einachsigem Druck im Nach-Bruch-Bereich deformiert wurden. Aufgrund der Beobachtung, daß eine Gesteinsprobe im Nach-Bruch-Bereich als aus brüchigem und gebrochenem Gestein zusammengesetzt betrachtet werden kann und unter der Annahme, daß die Abminderung der Belastbarkeit des Gesteins im Nach-Bruch-Bereich durch die Verringerung der wirksamen Querschnittsfläche der Probe infolge des Wachsens von großen Rissen in der Gesteinsprobe verursacht ist, wird gezeigt, daß es eine maximale wahre Spannung gibt, welche das ungebrochene, feste Gestein ohne inelastische Deformation ertragen kann. Diese Spannung ist konstant und wird als wahre Bruchfestigkeit des Gesteins angesprochen. Die Größe dieser Spannung errechnet sich durch Division der auf die Gesteinsprobe an irgendeinem Punkt der Nach-Bruch-Kurve ausgeübten Kraft durch die wahre, Belastung tragende Querschnittsfläche der Gesteinsprobe an diesem Punkt. Es wurden theoretische und experimentelle Techniken entworfen, welche eine Schätzung der Verminderung der Belastungsfläche an irgendeiner Stelle längs der Nach-Bruch-Kurve der Probe erlauben. Für Gesteinstypen, welche in diesen Untersuchungen benützt wurden und welche an im Voraus gewählten Stellen längs der Nach-Bruch-Kurve deformiert wurden, gaben unter der Annahme, daß das gebrochene Gestein nichts von der aufgebrachten Belastung trug, die beiden Techniken zur Messung der tatsächlich lasttragenden, wirksamen Fläche gleiche Resultate.

---

Résumé On présente les résultats d'une étude expérimentale du comportement de six types de roches chargées en compression simple dans leur domaine respectif de déformation après la rupture. Si l'on remarque qu'un échantillon de roche après la rupture peut être considéré comme composé de roche cassée et de roche non cassée, et en supposant que la réduction de résistance dans le domaine après la rupture est due à la réduction de la section droite intacte de l'échantillon, réduction résultant de la croissance de grandes fissures dans l'éprouvette, on montre qu'il existe une contrainte vraie maximale que la roche peut supporter sans déformation permanente. Cette contrainte est constante et est réputée être la résistance vraie à la rupture. La valeur de cette contrainte est calculée en divisant la force sur l'échantillon en chaque point de la courbe effort-déformation après la rupture, par la section droite supportant alors véritablement la charge. Des techniques théorique et expérimentale sont développées, qui permettent d'estimer la surface portante vraie de l'échantillon en tout point de la courbe après la rupture. Pour les types de roches utilisées dans cette étude, qui furent déformées à des états pré-déterminés du domaine après la rupture, et avec l'hypothèse que la roche fracturée ne supportait plus aucune contrainte, les deux méthodes de mesures de la section portante ont donné des résultats équivalents.

     

Timing and rate of isothermal decompression in Pan-African granulites from Rundvågshetta, East Antarctica

Geochronological data, combined with field and petrological evidence, constrain the timing and rate of near‐isothermal decompression at granulite facies temperatures in rocks from the Lützow‐Holm Complex of East Antarctica. Granulite facies gneisses from Rundvågshetta in Lützow‐Holm Bay experienced a peak metamorphic temperature of over 900 °C at c. 11 kbar, as evidenced by primary orthopyroxene–sillimanite‐bearing assemblages, and secondary cordierite–sapphirine‐bearing assemblages in metapelites. Peak metamorphic assemblages show strong preferred mineral orientation, interpreted to have developed synchronously with pervasive ductile deformation. Zircon from a syndeformational leucosome has a U–Pb age of 517±9 Ma, which is interpreted as a melt crystallization age. This age provides the best estimate of the time of peak metamorphic conditions. The post‐peak metamorphic history is characterized by near‐isothermal decompression, recorded by mineral textures in a variety of rock compositions. Field and textural relations indicate that decompression post‐dated pervasive ductile deformation. K/Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages from hornblende and biotite represent closure ages during cooling subsequent to decompression, and indicate cooling to temperatures between c. 350 and 300 °C by c. 500 Ma, thus placing a lower time limit on the duration of the high‐temperature isothermal decompression episode. The combination of the zircon age from a syndeformational melt with K/Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar closure ages indicates that near‐isothermal decompression from c. 11 to c. 4 kbar at granulite facies temperatures, followed by cooling to c. 300 °C, took place within a time interval of 20±10 Myr. Simple one‐dimensional models for exhumation‐controlled cooling indicate that these data require exhumation rates of the order of c. 3 km Myr^?1 for several million years, then cessation of exhumation followed by relatively isobaric cooling during thermal re‐equilibration.     

Applicability of the theory of hollow inclusions for overcoring stress measurements in rock

Summary Whenever solid or hollow inclusions are used as instrumented probes in overcoring techniques, residual stresses remain in the overcored rock sample and in the probes. When using such devices for computing the in-situ stress field components from measured strains or displacements, it is common practice to assume that the overcoring diameter is infinite and that there is a perfect bonding between the rock and the probes. The validity of these assumptions depends on the magnitude of the residual stresses at the rock-probe contact as compared to the tensile and shear strengths of the rock-probe bond material. It also depends on the distribution of residual stresses in the overcored sample.In comparison to previous work, new expressions are proposed in this paper for the residual stresses associated with solid or hollow inclusion type stress probes in anisotropic ground. These expressions are presented in dimensionless form and are used to show that the distribution and magnitude of residual stresses depend on the isotropic-anisotropic rock character, the degree and type of rock anisotropy, the orientation of the rock anisotropy with respect to the hole in which the probes are located and the relative deformability of the rock with respect to the deformability of the material comprising the probes. The conditions that are required for neglecting the overcored sample diameter are also discussed. This is shown for rocks that can be described as isotropic, transversely isotropic and orthotropic materials.     

Mineralogical indicators of volatile loss and alkali metasomatism in roof zones of the biotite granite in the Kwandonkaya Complex, Nigeria

The plutonic rocks in the Kwandonkaya complex, located within the NYG province of Nigeria, have some hypersolvus granites composed mainly of orthoclase microperthite and interstitial annite. These are inferred to have formed from a relatively F-poor, and relatively dry felsic melt. During cooling, Al–Si order was not completely achieved when the inversion of sanidiness to orthoclase and exsolution occurred. A majority of the granites contain intermediate to low microcline with annite to siderophyllite. The samples were incipiently modified in the subsolidus at very low fluid–rock ratios. Drusy granites result from resurgent boiling and volatile loss, which produced orthoclase-dominant feldspar and zoned zinnwaldite, with microcline lining cavities, whereas late loss of volatiles resulted in low microcline and zinnwaldite and metasomatism associated with cassiterite-topaz mineralization. Mica composition in both types of drusy granite is similar and seems to have been fluid-buffered. Albitization was rock-buffered and resulted in variable degree of Al–Si order in K-feldspar and mild modification of mica composition. Key factors affecting both the degree of Al–Si order of K-feldspar and mica compositions at Kwandonkaya seem to be the degree of volatile build-up and loss, and extent of fluid–rock interactions.     

Geology and genesis of the Toongi rare metal (Zr,Hf, Nb,Ta, Y and REE) deposit,NSW, Australia,and implications for rare metal mineralization in peralkaline igneous rocks

The Toongi Deposit, located in central NSW, Australia, hosts significant resources of Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Y and REE within a small (ca. 0.3 km²), rapidly cooled trachyte laccolith. Toongi is part of regional Late Triassic to Jurassic alkaline magmatic field, but is distinguished from the other igneous bodies by its peralkaline composition and economically significant rare metal content that is homogenously distributed throughout the trachyte body. The primary ore minerals are evenly dispersed throughout the rock and include lueshite/natroniobite and complex Na–Fe–Zr–Nb–Y–REE silicate minerals dominated by a eudialyte group mineral (EGM). The EGM occurs in a unique textural setting in the rock, commonly forming spheroidal or irregular-shaped globules, herein called “snowballs”, within the rock matrix. The snowballs are often protruded by aegirine and feldspar phenocrysts and contain swarms of fine aegirine and feldspar grains that often form spiral or swirling patterns within the snowball. Secondary ore minerals include REE carbonates, Y milarite, catapleiite and gaidonnayite that fill fractures and vesicles in the rock. Based on bulk-rock geochemical and Nd isotope data, and thermodynamic modelling of magma fractionation, the alkaline rocks of the region are interpreted to represent extrusive to hyperbyssal products of mantle-derived magma that ponded at mid-crustal levels (ca. 0.3 GPa) and underwent extensive fractionation under low-oxygen fugacity conditions. The high Na₂O, peralkaline nature of the Toongi Deposit trachyte developed via extensive fractionation of an alkali olivine basalt parental magma initially in the mid-crust and subsequently at shallow levels (ca. 0.1 GPa). This extended fractionation under low fO₂ and relatively low H₂O-activity conditions limited volatile release and allowed build-up of rare metal contents to ore grades. We speculate that the ore minerals may have originally formed from rare metal-rich sodic-silicate melt that formed immiscible globules (subsequently crystallized to EGM) in the magma shortly before emplacement and rapid cooling. Subsequent hydrothermal alteration caused relatively limited and localized remobilization of some ore metals into fractures and vesicles in the rock.     

The Shaw meteorite: History of a chondrite consisting of impact-melted and metamorphic lithologies

The Shaw L-group chondrite consists of three intermingled lithologies. One is light-colored and has a poikilitic texture, consisting of olivine (many skeletal and euhedral) and augite crystals surrounded by larger (up to 1 mm) orthopyroxene grains; plagioclase occurs between orthopyroxene crystals and rare, small (<5 μm) patches of Si-K-rich glass or cryptocrystalline material occurs within the plagioclase. The skeletal olivine crystals contain 0.08–0.16 wt% CaO. Petrofabric measurements show that the c-axes of the olivines are aligned. The light-colored lithology also contains numerous vugs and vesicles: SEM studies reveal euhedral, possibly vapor-deposited, crystals of olivine and pyroxene in the vugs. A second lithologic type is dark-colored, contains remnant chondrules. and has a microgranular texture. Poikilitic orthopyroxene crystals, where present, are smaller (0.1–0.2mm) than they are in the light-colored lithology. Microgranular olivine crystals contain <0.08 wt% CaO: most contain 0.03–0.05 wt% CaO. Vugs are rare and Si-K-rich material is absent. The third lithologic type is gray macroscopically and seems to be intermediate between the other two. It has a well-developed poikilitic texture, but contains neither skeletal olivines (euhedral olivines are rare) nor Si-K-rich material: remnant chondrules are present but less abundant than in the dark lithology. A modal analysis of a 5300 mm² slab shows, contrary to published opinions, that Shaw contains normal L-group chondrite abundances of metal and troilite. However, these phases are distributed irregularly throughout the meteorite. The light colored lithology is nearly devoid of metal and troilite and centimeter-sized metal-troilite globules occur between the three silicate lithologies. Wherever the metal occurs, it consists of nearly homogeneous martensite (13.9 wt% Ni) rimmed by kamacite (7.1 wt% Ni). These data indicate that Shaw is a partly-melted shock-breccia. The light-colored lithology must have been totally melted, as shown by the presence of aligned. CaO-rich, skeletal olivines; Si-K-rich residual material: and vugs and vesicles lined with euhedral crystals of mafic silicates. The dark areas appear to be unmelted target rock of L-group composition. Analysis of the growth of kamacite at the taenite (now martensite) borders indicates a cooling rate of ~ 3 C/10³ yr. or one thousand times faster than most ordinary chondntes. The Shaw impact event probably formed a crater several kilometers in diameter on its meteorite parent body.     

Petrology and geochemistry of the Cyclops ophiolites (Irian Jaya, East Indonesia): Consequences for the Cenozoic evolution of the north Australian margin

Summary The Cyclops massif (Irian Jaya - Western Indonesia) displays all components of an ophiolitic sequence including residual mantle peridotites (harzburgites and dunites), cumulate gabbros, dolerites, normal mid-oceanic ridge basalts (N-MORB) and minor amounts of boninitic lavas. This ophiolitic series tectonically overlies high temperature (HT)-high pressure (HP) mafic rocks metamorphosed during the Miocene.Mineral chemistry and bulk rock rare-earth element (REE) abundances of the peridotites are characteristic of highly residual mantle rocks. The high Cr# [Cr#=100*Cr/(Cr+Al)] of spinel (up to 60) and very low heavy rare-earth element (HREE) concentrations of peridotites (< 0.1 time the chondritic values) are in agreement with residues of 25 to 35% melting as expected for peridotites from supra-subduction zone environments. Ti-enrichments in spinels and secondary clinopyroxenes (up to 1%, and 0.5%, respectively) are likely a consequence of reaction between mantle-derived melts and the host peridotites. High light rare-earth element (LREE) concentrations reaching up to chondritic values and high field strength element (HFSE) anomalies suggest that the initial composition of the residual peridotites has been previously modified by the passage of boninitic melt(s). The associated basalts and related cumulate rocks display major and trace element contents with Nb-negative anomalies typical of back-arc magmas.New⁴⁰K/⁴⁰Ar isotopic ages obtained from the back-arc basin basalts (BABB - 29 Ma) and boninites (43 Ma) combined with the geochemical signatures of the rocks studied here, indicate that the Cyclops Mountains may have formed in a single suprasubduction environment. This implies southward plunging subduction of the Australian oceanic lithosphere beneath the northern part of the Australian margin. The ultramafic rocks and related lavas (boninites) likely formed during the Eocene in a forearc environment, before their southward obduction onto the island arc crustal welt during the early Miocene. The Pliocene back-thrusting event has led to the slicing of the backarc basin series onto the arc and fore-arc sequences.

---

Le massif des Cyclops (Irian Jaya- Ouest Indonésie montre tous les termes d'une séquence ophiolitique comprenant des péridotites résiduelles (harzburgites et dunites), des cumulats gabbroïques, des dolérites, des basaltes de type N-MORB et de rares boninites. Cette série, ophiolitique repose tectoniquement sur des roches mafiques métamorphisées à haute température au Miocene.

Résumé Les données pétrologiques et géochimiques montrent clairement que les péridotites ont un caractère fortement résiduel. Les fortes teneurs en Cr# [Cr#= 100*Cr/(Cr+Al)] du spinelle (> 60) associées aux très faibles concentrations en terres rares lourdes sur roche totale (<0.1 aux valeurs chondritiques) témoignent de fort taux de fusion (25 à 35%) que l'on rencontre habituellement dans les contextes de subduction. Les enrichissements importants en TiO₂ des spinelles et clinopyroxènes secondaires des peridotites (> 1 % et 0.5%, respectivement) sent interprétés comme résultant de phénomènes d'imprégnations importants entre les péridotites et des liquides magmatiques. Les fortes concentrations en terres rares légères des péridotites (proches des valeurs chondritiques) associées aux fortes anomalies en Nb, Sr, Zr, et Hf suggerent que ces liquides étaient de nature boninitique. Les basaltes et les cumulats gabbroïques dérivent de la cristallisation de liquides tholéiitiques de type MORB. Leurs fortes anomalies en Nb, suggerènt cependant une origine dans un bassin arrière-arcDe nouvelles datations isotopiques⁴⁰K⁴⁰Ar obtenues sur les basaltes arrière-arch (29 Ma) et les boninites (43 Ma) montrent que le massif des Cyclops s' est probablement formé dans un contexte de zone de subduction impliquant une subduction vers le Sud de la lithosphere océanique australienne sous la marge nord australienne. Les péridotites et laves associées (boninites) se seraient formées à l'Eocène dans un bassin avant-arc, avant d'être obductées au Miocène sur l'are situé plus au sud. Les rétrochevauchements Pliocène ont conduit aux charriages tardifs du bassin arrière-arc sur l'arc et le bassin avant-arc.

---

---

With 9 Figures     

Diffusion kinetics of Cr in olivine and 53Mn–53Cr thermochronology of early solar system objects

We have determined the diffusion coefficient of Cr in olivine as function of temperature, oxygen fugacity (fO₂), and crystallographic orientation and used these data to develop a quantitative understanding of the resetting of the short-lived ⁵³Mn–⁵³Cr decay system in olivine during cooling within meteorite parent body. The diffusion of Cr in olivine was found to be anisotropic, and effectively independent of fO₂ between wüstite–iron buffer and two orders of magnitude above this buffer. The diffusion data were used to calculate the spatially averaged mean closure temperature of the ⁵³Mn–⁵³Cr decay system in olivine as function of the initial temperature, cooling rate and grain size, and also the closure age profile of this system in olivine single crystal as function of radial distance and a dimensionless parameter that incorporates the effects of various parameters that affect the closure age. We also present a thermochronolgic formulation that permits retrieval of cooling rates from the extent of resetting of the bulk ⁵³Mn–⁵³Cr closure age of olivine during cooling. This method was applied to determine the cooling rate of the pallasite Omolon, which showed ⁵³Mn–⁵³Cr bulk age of olivine that is 10 Myr younger than the age of the solar system. The calculated cooling rate, which is 20–40 °C/Myr at ∼985–1000 °C, is in good agreement with the metallographic cooling rate at ∼500 °C, when the two results are considered in terms of a cooling model in which the reciprocal temperature increases linearly with time. The inferred cooling rate of Omolon, which seems to be a sample from the core-mantle boundary, yields a burial depth of ∼30 km in a parent body of at least ∼100 km radius.     

The microstructures of microcline from some granitic rocks and pegmatites

Numerical simulations of the growth of a large crystal face of plagioclase in response to an instantaneous undercooling below the equilibrium temperature are presented for model granodiorite and basalt melts with varying water contents. The simulations suggest that the anorthite content of plagioclase decreases uniformly from the composition in equilibrium with the bulk melt as undercooling is increased, and that the water content in the melt has little influence on this result. Comparison of the simulations with sharp compositional changes in natural profiles suggests that undercoolings of tens of degrees C can be rapidly imposed on plutonic phenocrysts. Large changes of undercooling most likely result from chilling of the magma and local convection around growing crystals. The observation in experiments that growth rate does not increase rapidly with increasing water content in the starting melting composition can be attributed to the concentration of water at the crystal face during growth; the action of water to reduce liquidus temperature and undercooling has a greater effect on growth rate than its action to increase transport rates. Even at large undercooling, there is no significant increase in temperature at the interface caused by the release of heat of crystallization.Simulations are presented to illustrate how disequilibrium growth processes due to undercooling can modify the normal zoning profiles expected from fractionation. Assuming that an undercooling is necessary to cause nucleation, normal zoning can result if crystal growth takes place at constant or increasing undercooling, but reverse zoning can occur at decreasing undercooling. Undercooling during growth is controlled by the relative rate of cooling and the rate at which the liquidus temperature is decreased by the accumulation of residual components and volatiles in the melt. Consequently, normal zoning should be promoted by rapid cooling, contemporaneous crystallization of other phases, and absence of volatiles, while reverse zoning should be expected in phenocrysts grown in slowly-cooled melts or in melts where volatiles are concentrated. The zoning patterns found in many plutonic plagioclase crystals suggest that their compositions are in significant disequilibrium with the melt; consequently, they are unsuitable for use in geothermometers.Approximate calculations suggest that the amount of water concentrated at the surface of growing phenocrysts in plutons can promote local convection. Comparison of simulated and observed oscillatory zoning profiles suggests that oscillatory zoning is not explained by a re-nucleationdiffusion model (Harloff 1927), but is readily explained by periodic local convection.     

A major revision of iron meteorite cooling rates—An experimental study of the growth of the Widmanstätten pattern

In this study kamacite was experimentally grown in taenite grains of Fe-Ni-P alloys containing between 5 and 10 wt% Ni and 0 and 1.0 wt% P. Both isothermal heat treatments and non-isothermal heat treatments at cooling rates of 2 to 5°C/day were carried out. Analytical electron microscopy was used to examine the orientation and chemical composition of the kamacite and the surrounding taenite matrix. The kamacite so produced is spindle or rod shaped and has a Widmanstätten pattern orientation. The presence of heterogeneous sites such as phosphides is necessary for the nucleation of the intergranular kamacite. During kamacite growth both Ni and P partition between kamacite and taenite with chemical equilibrium at the two phase interface. The growth kinetics are limited by the diffusion of Ni in taenite. Additional diffusion experiments showed that the volume diffusion coefficient of Ni in taenite is raised by a factor of 10 at 750°C in the presence of only 0.15 wt% P.A numerical model to simulate the growth of kamacite in Fe-Ni-P alloys, based on our experimental results, was developed and applied to estimate the cooling rates of the iron meteorites. The cooling rates predicted by the new model are two orders of magnitude greater than those of previous studies. For example the cooling rates of chemical groups I, IIIAB and IVA are 400–4000°C/10⁶years, 150–1400°C/ 10⁶ years and 750–6000°C/10⁶years respectively. Previous models gave 1–4°C/10⁶ years, 1–10°C/10⁶ years and 3–200°C/10⁶ years. Such fast cooling rates can be interpreted to indicate that meteorite parent bodies need only be a few kilometers in diameter or that iron meteorites can be formed near the surface of larger asteroidal bodies.     

Origin of a late Neoproterozoic (605 ± 13 Ma) intrusive carbonate–albitite complex in Southern Sinai, Egypt

New geochemical, isotopic, and geochronological data and interpretations are presented for late Neoproterozoic intrusive carbonates and related rocks of southern Sinai, Egypt (northernmost Arabian–Nubian Shield). The Tarr carbonates are coarsely crystalline and related to explosive emplacement of hypabyssal and volcanic albitite at 605 ± 13 Ma. The carbonates associated with the albitites are divisible into two types: primary dolomitite and secondary breunneritite (Fe-rich magnesite). The dolomitite was clearly intrusive but differs from classic igneous carbonatites, containing much lower abundances of incompatible elements, such as REE, U, Th, Rb, Nb, Y, P, Sr, Zr, Ba, and total alkalies. The breunneritite is a secondary replacement of dolomitite, probably marking the roots of a vigorous hydrothermal system. Albitites show pristine abundances of major and trace elements and were not subjected to a major metamorphic overprint. They are relatively more fractionated, alkaline and related to within-plate A-type magmas, were emplaced in an extensional or non-compressive tectonic regime in the cupola of high-level A-type granite. Tarr albitites may represent residual magma remaining after near-total crystallization of an A-type granite pluton at depth, forcibly emplaced into the roof above the cooling pluton. The intrusive dolomitite exsolved from highly differentiated albitite melt, in the apical regions of a still-buried alkaline “A-type” granite pluton that was rich in CO₂; these volatiles migrated upwards and towards the cooler margins of the magma body. Late NNE-SSW extension allowed a shallow-level cupola to form, into which albitite melts and carbonate fluids migrated, culminating in explosive emplacement of albitite breccia and intrusive carbonate. Isotopic compositions of Tarr dolomitite and albitite indicate these are consanguineous and ultimately of mantle origin. Magmatic volatiles fenitized the wall rock, while submarine hydrothermal activity transformed some of the dolomitite into breunneritite. Recognition of Tarr-type should encourage similar hypabyssal complex intrusions to be sought for in association with A-type granitic plutons elsewhere.     

On the genesis of demantoid from Xinjiang,China

Demantoid is a rare gem mineral. The Xinjiang Cr-bearing demantoid reported in this paper has been discovered for the first time in China. It contains more than 90% end-member molecule of andradite, close to the pure end-member composition, as revealed by chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, Mössbauer spectrometry and both infrared and optical absorption spectrometry. The Fe²⁺ content lies beyond the detection limit of Mössbauer spectrometry. It was found that the green color of demantoid is directly related geological occurrence and mineral association the genesis of demantoid is inferred as follows. In ultramafic to Fe³⁺ in the octahedral site and that the presence of Cr³⁺ greatly enhances its inferred as follows. In ultramafic rocks olivine and pyroxene were replaced by serpentine under the reaction of residual volatiles, creating an Fe-rich and Al-poor environment. In such an environment late-stage hydrothermal metasomatism was developed along the fissures of serpentine, resulting in the crystallization and precipitation of demantoid in asbestos veins. On the other hand, local tectonic compression and dislocation gave rise to the formation of demantoid aggregates cemented by serpentine asbestos. Evidence has shown that the trace Cr was derived from chromite and Cr-spinel in the ultramafic rock bodies.     

Nikubuchi peridotite body in the sanbagawa metamorphic belt; thermal history of the ‘Al-pyroxene-rich suite’ peridotite body in high pressure metamorphic terrain

Oceanic tholeiite glass has been reacted with natural seawater at 25°–500° C, 1 kbar, with both low (5) and high (50) water/rock mass ratios. Initial experiments were conducted at constant temperatures between 100° C and 500° C (100° intervals) in order to characterize the mineralogy and chemical exchange trends for both water/rock ratios. However, the primary purpose of this investigation was to study the chemical and mineralogical changes that may take place as reacted seawater cools as it traverses a temperature gradient before exiting onto the seafloor, as may happen in some submarine hydrothermal systems. Consequently, a series of cooling or temperature gradient experiments were performed in which seawater that had reacted with basalt at 500° C was cooled to 25° C in a step-wise fashion; mineralogy and fluid chemistry were determined at 100 degree intervals during cooling.For all of the experiments, the elemental exchange trends were the same. With respect to the initial sea-water, Fe, Mn, Ca, Si and H⁺ increased while Na and Mg decreased. However, the extent of the exchange depended heavily on the temperature and water/rock ratio. During cooling, fluid compositions in the temperature gradient runs generally approached those of the constant temperature experiments. Even though fluid compositions were very similar at 500° C for both water/rock ratios, the high water/rock ratio systems were more efficient in leaching transition metals from the rock and maintained substantial concentrations in solution during cooling, even to temperatures as low as 25° C. The Fe/Mn ratio in the fluid, however, was quite different for the two water/rock ratios; consequently, the effective water/rock ratio appears to be one parameter that can control the Fe/Mn ratio in exiting hydrothermal fluids and may influence the Fe/Mn ratio in metal-rich sediments.Alteration minerals produced in these seawater/ basalt experiments are very similar to those found at submarine springs on the East Pacific Rise, 21° N. Iron sulfides, pyrite and pyrrhotite, precipitated during cooling for both water/rock ratios, demonstrating the ore-forming potential of submarine hydrothermal systems.     

Solubility controlled noble gas fractionation during magmatic degassing: Implications for noble gas compositions of primary melts of OIB and MORB

Noble gas abundances in basaltic glasses from ocean islands (OIBs) are generally lower than those of mid-oceanic ridge basalts (MORBs), contrary to most geodynamic models which usually require that the source of OIBs is less degassed (resulting in higher primordial noble gas abundances) and more trace element enriched (resulting in higher radiogenic noble gas abundances) than the MORB source. Therefore, noble gas abundances in OIBs are often thought to have been reduced by extensive gas loss from the magma before eruption.The extent of magmatic degassing can be tested as it will cause characteristic changes in the composition of the volatiles; notably the ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ratio (where ⁴⁰Ar* is ⁴⁰Ar corrected for atmospheric contamination) will increase in residual volatiles due to the higher solubility of He relative to Ar. The degree of He-Ar fractionation for a given fraction of gas loss depends on the ratio of the solubilities, S_He/S_Ar, which is sensitive to (among other things) the CO₂ and H₂O content of the basalt at the time of degassing.From a global database of OIB and MORB glasses, we show that ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ratios of MORB glasses are broadly consistent with degassing of a magma with an initial ⁴⁰Ar of ≈1.5 × 10⁻⁵ ccSTP/g, i.e., similar to that of the “popping rock.” However, OIB glasses generally have lower ⁴⁰Ar* concentration for a given ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar*. While this would appear to require lower ⁴⁰Ar* abundances in the undegassed OIB magmas, the higher volatile contents of OIBs will reduce S_He/S_Ar (relative to MORBs) during degassing. By modeling S_He/S_Ar in OIBs, it is possible to show that extensive degassing of OIBs can occur without dramatically increasing the ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ratio. We show that undegassed ⁴⁰Ar concentrations of OIB magmas were probably similar to those of MORBs.     

Chemical and isotopic constraints on water/rock interactions at the Lost City hydrothermal field, 30°N Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Low temperature vent fluids (<91 °C) issuing from the ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal system at Lost City, 30°N Mid-Atlantic Ridge, are enriched in dissolved volatiles (H₂,CH₄) while attaining elevated pH values, indicative of the serpentization processes that govern water/rock interactions deep in the oceanic crust. Here, we present a series of theoretical models to evaluate the extent of hydrothermal alteration and assess the effect of cooling on the systematics of pH-controlled B aqueous species. Peridotite-seawater equilibria calculations indicate that the mineral assemblage composed of diopside, brucite and chrysotile likely dictates fluid pH at moderate temperature serpentinization processes (<300 °C), by imposing constraints on the aCa⁺⁺/a²H⁺ ratios and the activity of dissolved SiO₂. Based on Sr abundances and the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratios of vent fluids reported from Lost City, estimated water/rock mass ratios (w/r = 2-4) are consistent with published models involving dissolved CO₂ and alkane concentrations. Combining the reported δ¹⁸O values of vent fluids (0.7‰) with such w/r mass ratios, allows us to bracket subseafloor reaction temperatures in the vicinity of 250 °C. These estimates are in agreement with previous theoretical studies supporting extensive conductive heat loss within the upflow zones. Experimental studies on peridotite-seawater alteration suggest that fluid pH increases during cooling which then rapidly enhances boron removal from solution and incorporation into secondary phases, providing an explanation for the highly depleted dissolved boron concentrations measured in the low temperature but alkaline Lost City vent fluids. Finally, to account for the depleted ¹¹B composition (δ¹¹B ∼25-30‰) of vent fluids relative to seawater, isotopic fractionation between tetrahedrally coordinated aqueous boron species with BO₃-bearing mineral sites (e.g. in calcite, brucite) is proposed.     

One dimensional diffusion of radiogenic 87Sr and fluid transport of volatile elements across the margin of a metamorphosed Archaean basic dyke from Saglek,Labrador

An example of diffusion in a natural solid rock is described using ⁸⁷Sr as a tracer. The distribution of excess radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr across the contact of a metamorphosed basic dyke in a granodioritic gneiss is shown to fit closely to a mathematically modelled theoretical diffusion curve. It is suggested that the excess radiogenic Sr was generated by the breakdown of older Rb-rich biotite in the country rock to form chlorite during a late-stage greenschist facies metamorphism, and then taken up into a fluid phase migrating along the country rock — dyke interface. This fluid introduced silica, alkalies, light REE, H₂O, CO₂, N and Cl into the marginal zone of the dyke, probably during fluid migration along grain boundaries. The present irregular distribution of the volatile constituents across the contact and in the dyke excludes a diffusion controlled distribution. The distribution of volatiles probably reflects the influence of the existing mineralogy on the geochemical anomaly actually recorded from a post magmatic process. Evidence is presented that the diffusivity of radiogenic Sr was enhanced by the presence of a volatile phase.     

The Ronda high temperature peridotite: Geochemistry and petrogenesis

The Ronda peridotite in southern Spain is a large (~300 km²) exposure of upper mantle which provides direct information about mantle processes on a scale much larger than that provided by mantle xenoliths in basalt. Ronda peridotites range from harzburgite to lherzolite, and vary considerably in major element content, e.g., Al₂O₃ from 0.9 to 4.8%, and trace element abundances, e.g., Sr, Zr and La abundances vary by factors of 20 to 40. These compositional variations are systematic and correlate with (pyroxene + garnet)/olivine ratios and olivine compositions. The data are consistent with formation of residual peridotites by variable degrees of melting (~0 to 30%) of a compositionally homogeneous peridotite. None of the peridotites have geochemical characteristics of residues formed by extensive (?5%) fractional melting and the data can be explained by equilibrium (batch) melting, possibly with incomplete melt segregation in some samples. Based on compositional differences between Ronda peridotites, the segregated melts were picritic (12–22% MgO) with relative rare earth element abundances similar to mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). Prior to the melting event the Ronda peridotite body was a suitable source for MORB. The compositional characteristics of Ronda peridotites are consistent with diapiric rise of a fertile mantle peridotite with relatively small degrees of melting near the diapir-wall rock interface yielding residues of garnet iherzolite, and larger degrees of melting in the diapir interior yielding residues of garnet-free peridotite. Subsequently these residual rocks were recrystallized at sub-solidus conditions (Obata, 1980), and emplaced in the crust by thrusting (Lundeen, 1978).