The superstructure of plagioclase feldspars

A modulation function representing the position and density of (Na, Ca) atoms in the superstructure of the e-plagioclase has been derived from the average structures of different plagioclase and a general modulation theory. Based on this function the superstructure of bytownite (An₇₃) has been studied with the single crystal X-ray method. The cell dimensions by Megaw's axes are a=7.946(3)A, b=67.09(2)A, c=12.236(4)A, α=39.03(1)°, β=45.63(1)° and γ=59.63(1)°. Z=18(Na, Ca) Al(Al, Si)Si₂O₈. The initial phase factor of the modulation function for bytownite has been obtained from the intensity data of the satellite reflections. This modulation function indicates a coherent small-scale alternation of the Na-rich and Ca-rich bands in the superstructure. This superstructure has been refined by applying the albite and anorthite structures to the Na-rich and Ca-rich bands, respectively. The change of the superstructure of the e-plagioclase due to the compositional change has been described based on the movements of the satellites in reciprocal space. The direction of the coherent small-scale intergrowth of the anorthite-like and albite-like bands is perpendicular to the t vector. The thickness of the intergrowth is 1/|t|. Both direction and thickness change regularly from An₇₅ to An₂₅.     

Experimental delineation of the “e” ⇌ I\bar 1 and “e” ⇌ C\bar 1 transformations in intermediate plagioclase feldspars

Approximately 125 hydrothermal annealing experiments have been carried out in an attempt to bracket the stability fields of different ordered structures within the plagioclase feldspar solid solution. Natural crystals were used for the experiments and were subjected to temperatures of ～650°C to ～1,000°C for times of up to 370 days at \(P_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}} \) =600 bars, or \(P_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}} \) =1,200 bars. The structural states of both parent and product materials were characterised by electron diffraction, with special attention being paid to the nature of type e and type b reflections (at h+k=(2n+1), l=(2n+1) positions). Structural changes of the type C \(\bar 1\) → I \(\bar 1\) , C \(\bar 1\) → “e” structure, I \(\bar 1\) → “e” and “e” structure → I \(\bar 1\) have been followed. There are marked differences between the ordering behaviour of crystals with compositions on either side of the C \(\bar 1\) ? I \(\bar 1\) transition line. In the composition range ～ An₅₀ to ～ An₇₀ the e structure appears to have a true field of stability relative to I \(\bar 1\) ordering, and a transformation of the type I \(\bar 1\) ? e has been reversed. It is suggested that the e structure is the more stable ordered state at temperatures of ～ 800°C and below. For compositions more albite-rich than ～ An₅₀ the upper temperature limit for long range e ordering is lower than ～ 750°C, and there is no evidence for any I \(\bar 1\) ordering. The evidence for a true stability field for “e” plagioclase, which is also consistent with calorimetric data, necessitates reanalysis both of the ordering behaviour of plagioclase crystals in nature and of the equilibrium phase diagram for the albite-anorthite system. Igneous crystals with compositions of ～ An₆₅, for example, probably follow a sequence of structural states C \(\bar 1\) → I \(\bar 1\) → e during cooling. The peristerite, Bøggild and Huttenlocher miscibility gaps are clearly associated with breaks in the albite, e and I \(\bar 1\) ordering behaviour but their exact topologies will depend on the thermodynamic character of the order/disorder transformations.     

Magnetic properties of the clinopyroxenes aegirine and hedenbergite: a magnetic susceptibility study on single crystals

Two natural clinopyroxene single crystals were investigated, an aegirine-augite (AEG) and a magnesian hedenbergite (HED). Both samples were carefully characterized by electron microprobe, X-ray diffraction, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of powdered samples reveal low temperature antiferromagnetic coupling and Curie-Weiss behaviour with T _N =7.5(5)?K, Θ _P =?19(1)?K for AEG, and T _N =31(1)?K, Θ _P =+21(1)?K for HED, respectively. Low temperature Mössbauer spectra exhibit relaxation phenomena. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of the single crystals show the direction of the magnetic moments to be lying within the a/c plane for both samples: 50(±2)° from a and 57(±2)° from c in AEG, and 45(±2)° from a and 60(±2)° from c in HED, respectively. The antiferromagnetic interchain interaction competes with the ferromagnetic intrachain interaction in both pyroxenes. In the magnesian hedenbergite a field induced magnetic transition is found. Its dependence on temperature, magnetic field and crystallographic direction is investigated and described.     

Transmission electron microscope study of dislocations in orthopyroxene (Mg,Fe)2Si2O6

The orthopyroxene crystal structure can be viewed as the stacking of alternating tetrahedral and octahedral layers parallel to the (100) plane. Easy glide occurs in the (100) plane at the level of the octahedral layer to prevent breakage of the strong Si-O bonds. Dislocations with c and b Burgers vectors have been activated in (100) by room temperature indentation in an orthoenstatite gem quality single crystal. Investigations in transmission electron microscopy show that the b dislocations (b?9 Å) are not dissociated while the c's (c=5.24 Å) are dissociated into four partials. This result is interpreted by considering the oxygen sublattice as a distorted FCC one. The four c partials are thus Shockley partials bounding three stacking faults. For the two outer ones, synchroshear of the cations is necessary to keep unchanged their sixfold coordination; the oxygen sublattice is locally transformed into a HCP lattice. This accounts for the observed low splitting (?100 Å) of these faults as compared to the median one (?500 Å) which does not affect the oxygen sublattice and does not require cation synchroshear. In a Fe rich orthopyroxene (eulite), semi coherent exsolution lamellae have been studied. Either only c edge dislocations or both b and c edge dislocations occur in the phase boundaries depending upon the thickness of the lamellae. Only the c dislocations are dissociated. From the observed spacing between these mismatch dislocations a crude estimate of the exsolution temperature is proposed T _ex ? 700° C.     

Growth defects in metamorphic biotite

Metamorphic biotites examined by transmission electron microscopy contain planar defects on the (001) plane, superlattices, twins and a microstructure causing streaking of k≠3n rows. Analysis of the fringe contrast shows that the fault vectors associated with the planar defects are either R ₁=±1/3 [010], R ₂=±1/6 [310] or R ₃=±1/6 [3 \(\bar 1\) 0]. Structural considerations indicate that a stacking fault R ₁, R ₂ or R ₃ is most likely to exist in the octahedral layer rather than the potassium layer. The result of such a fault on a unit layer of mica is effectively to rotate it through ±120° about c* (equivalent to the common mica twin law). These stacking faults can provide the mechanism for producing the ±120° rotations associated with the common mica polytypes. Furthermore, many of the observed microstructures can be generated by these stacking faults.     

A Mössbauer investigation of natural troilite from the Agpalilik meteorite

Troilite close to FeS, with 0.17 weight percent Cr as main impurity, was obtained from the Agpalilik meteorite. Powder Mössbauer spectroscopy was made in the temperature range 77–645 K. The full Hamiltonian was applied in the fittings. Assuming the asymmetry parameter η to be constant on passing from the high-temperature NiAs-type structure to the medium-temperature MnP-type structure yields a quadrupole splitting (dq=0.5e² qQ(1+(η²)/3)^1/2) value of ?0.25(2) mm/s for these phases. In low-temperature troilite |dq|=0.85 mm/s at room temperature. The combinations of (η, θ, φ) in troilite giving identical spectra range from (0, 49°, -) to (1, 45°, 50°) for negative V _zz or from (0.3, 57°, 78°) to (1, 58°, 54°) for positive V _zz . Assuming a negative V _zz and B‖c gives a θ value in agreement with the shortest Fe-S join being the V _zz orientation. The magnetic spin flip of 90° is proposed to occur in the MnP-phase only. The MnP phase-troilite transition occurs at lower temperatures and is more sluggish than in pure FeS.     

Electronic absorption spectra of Cr3+ ions in natural clinopyroxenes

The polarized (E‖a′, E‖b and E‖c) electronic absorption spectra of five natural chromium-containing clinopyroxenes with compositions close to chromdiopside, omphacite, ureyite-jadeite (12.8% Cr₂O₃), jadeite, and spodumene (hiddenite) were studied. The polarization dependence of the intensities of the Cr³⁺ bands in the clinopyroxene spectra cannot be explained by the selection rules for the point groups C ₂ or C _2v but can be accounted for satisfactorily with the help of the higher order pseudosymmetry model, i.e. with selection rules for the point symmetry group C _3v. The trigonal axis of the pseudosymmetry crystal field forms an angle of 20.5° with the crystallographic direction c in the (010) plane. D _q increases from diopside (1542 cm^?1) through omphacite (1552 cm^?1), jadeite (1574 cm^?1) to spodumene (1592 cm^?1). The parameter B which is a measure of covalency for Cr³⁺-O bonds at M1 sites in clinopyroxene depends on the Cr³⁺ concentration and the cations at M2 sites.     

Deformation mechanisms in experimentally deformed single crystals of pyrrhotite,Fe1−xS

Single crystals of hexagonal and monoclinic pyrrhotite, Fe_1?xS, have been experimentally deformed by uniaxial compression at 300 MPa confining pressure, and at a strain rate of 1 × 10^?5 s^?1 in the temperature range from 200° C to 400° C. Very high anisotropy characterizes the mechanical behaviour of the crystal structure. During compression parallel to thec-axis, when no slip system may be activated, the maximum strength is observed. One or two degrees of non-parallelism between [c] and σ₁ results in slip on the basal plane, illustrating the very low resistance of the lattice against shear in this plane. At σ₁ Λ(0001)=45°, i.e. when maximum resolved shear stress is attained on the basal plane, the strength reaches a minimum. Thecritical resolved shear stress (CRSS) increases from less than 4.7 MPa at 400° C to 52 MPa at 200° C. A new slip system, \((10\overline 1 0)\parallel \left\langle {1\overline 2 10} \right\rangle \) prism slip, is described. It is activated only at high angles (>70°) between σ₁ and [c]. The CRSS of the prism slip ranges from 7 MPa (400° C) to 115 MPa (200° C). Twinning on \((10\overline 1 2)[(10\overline 1 2):(1\overline 2 10)]\) , earlier reported by several authors, has been produced only at the highest temperature either as secondary feature during pressure release (compression ‖[c]) or in heterogeneously strained areas (compression ⊥[c]). As twinning and prism slip attain their maximum values of the Schmidt factor under nearly equal stress conditions it is postulated that the former of the two deformation modes has the higher shear resistance.     

Sense of shear in high-temperature movement zones from the fabric asymmetry of plagioclase feldspars

A new method for determining the sense of shear in plagioclase-bearing tectonites from the (010) orientation of plagioclase feldspar is presented. The method is based on the asymmetry of the (010) plane with respect to the structural frame (foliation and lineation) and the dominant activity of the (010) slip plane in the high-temperature plasticity of plagioclase feldspar. Using examples from the Zabargad gneisses (Red Sea) the method is applied to plagioclases of An25–An45 and compared with other methods of shear-sense determination (quartz c-axis fabrics and microstructural criteria).     

Interaction of chemical and physical processes during deformation at fluid-present conditions: a case study from an anorthosite–leucogabbro deformed at amphibolite facies conditions

We present microstructural and chemical analyses of chemically zoned and recrystallized plagioclase grains in variably strained samples of a naturally deformed anorthosite–leucogabbro, southern West Greenland. The recorded microstructures formed in the presence of fluids at mid-crustal conditions (620–640 °C, 7.4–8.6 kbar). Recrystallized plagioclase grains (average grain size 342 μm) with a random crystallographic orientation are volumetrically dominant in high-strain areas. They are characterized by asymmetric chemical zoning (An₈₀ cores and An₆₄ rims) that are directly associated with areas exhibiting high amphibole content and phase mixing. Analyses of zoning indicate anisotropic behaviour of bytownite plagioclase with a preferred replacement in the $ \left\langle {0 10} \right\rangle $ direction and along the (001) plane. In areas of high finite strain, recrystallization of plagioclase dominantly occurred by bulging recrystallization and is intimately linked to the chemical zoning. The lack of CPO as well as the developed asymmetric zoning can be explained by the activity of grain boundary sliding accommodated by dissolution and precipitation creep (DPC). In low-strain domains, grain size is on average larger and the rim distribution is not related to the inferred stress axes indicating chemically induced grain replacement instead of stress-related DPC. We suggest that during deformation, in high-strain areas, pre-existing phase mixture and stress induced DPC-caused grain rotations that allowed a deformation-enhanced heterogeneous fluid influx. This resulted in local plagioclase replacement through interface-coupled dissolution and precipitation and chemically induced grain boundary migration, accompanied by bulging recrystallization, along with neocrystallization of other phases. This study illustrates a strong interaction and feedback between physical and chemical processes where the amount of stress and fluids dictates the dominant active process. The interaction is a cause of deformation and external fluid infiltration with a result of strain localization and chemical re-equilibration at amphibolite facies conditions.     

Determination of stress directions from plagioclase fabrics in high grade deformed rocks (Além Paraíba shear zone, Ribeira fold belt, southeastern Brazil)

A new method to determine stress directions using the preferential orientation of plagioclase mechanical twins has been applied to high-temperature mylonitic rocks from the Além Paraíba shear zone, Ribeira fold belt, southeastern Brazil. We have measured the lattice-preferred orientation of plagioclase grains and calculated the orientation of the stress axes possible for the observed twin orientations. The maximum compressive stress direction (σ₁), determined for all studied samples, is a function of the mechanical twin orientations of a number of distinct plagioclase populations. The σ₁ direction is generally subperpendicular to the (010) plane. The statistical treatment for most of the plagioclase grains examined for each sample shows that σ₁ is almost perpendicular to the foliation plane, suggesting a significant coaxial component in the deformation process of these rocks.     

The R{\overline{3}} c \to R{\overline{3}} m transition in nitratine, NaNO3, and implications for calcite, CaCO3

The temperature dependences of the crystal structure and superstructure intensities in sodium nitrate, mineral name nitratine, NaNO₃, were studied using Rietveld structure refinements based on synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. Nitratine transforms from $R{\overline{3}} c\;\hbox{to}\;R{\overline{3}} m$ at T _c = 552(1) K. A NO₃ group occupies, statistically, two positions with equal frequency in the disordered $R{\overline{3}} m$ phase, but with unequal frequency in the partially ordered $R{\overline{3}} c$ phase. One position for the NO₃ group is rotated by 60° or 180° with respect to the other. The occupancy of the two orientations in the $R{\overline{3}} c$ phase is obtained from the occupancy factor, x, for the O1 site and gives rise to the order parameter, S = 2x ? 1, where S is 0 at T _c and 1 at 0 K. The NO₃ groups rotate in a rapid process from about 541 to T _c, where the a axis contracts. Using a modified Bragg–Williams model, a good fit was obtained for the normalized intensities (that is, normalized, NI^1/2) for the (113) and (211) reflections in $R{\overline{3}} c\hbox {\,NaNO}_{3},$ and indicates a second-order transition. Using the same model, a reasonable fit was obtained for the order parameter, S, and also supports a second-order transition.     

Structure,formation, and decomposition of APB's in calcic plagioclase

In calcic plagioclase (Ca, Na) [(Al, Si) AlSi₂O₈] Al-Si ordering produces superstructures with periodic and non periodic antiphase boundaries (APB's). Crystals growing at high temperature close to the melting point and cooling fairly rapidly order by nucleation of ordered domains which grow, resulting in an irregular pattern of curved APB's (b plagioclase). A modulated structure with periodic APB's forms by continuous ordering at large undercooling below the critical ordering temperature (e plagioclase). During annealing APB's are eliminated by pairwise recombination of adjacent APB's to reduce strain energy along the boundaries thereby transforming nonstable e plagioclase into stable b plagioclase without change in chemical composition. This process is often accompanied by a chemical phase separation with APB's providing favorable surfaces for diffusion. Transformations are documented by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs illustrating the variation in morphology of APB patterns in igneous and metamorphic plagioclase. They are in agreement with Korekawa et al.'s (1978) model of intermediate plagioclase which relies on periodic stacking of basic units rather than wavelike modulations. The paper includes observations of a new type of satellite in Stillwater bytownite (‘h’ satellites) which are due to fine lamellar exsolution.     

The effects of undercooling and deformation rates on the crystallization kinetics of Stromboli and Etna basalts

We have investigated the effect of undercooling and deformation on the evolution of the texture and the crystallization kinetics of remelted basaltic material from Stromboli (pumice from the March 15, 2007 paroxysmal eruption) and Etna (1992 lava flow). Isothermal crystallization experiments were conducted at different degrees of undercooling and different applied strain rate (T = 1,157–1,187 °C and $ \dot{\gamma }_{i} $ γ · i  = 4.26 s^?1 for Stromboli; T = 1,131–1,182 °C and $ \dot{\gamma }_{i} $ γ · i  = 0.53 s^?1 for Etna). Melt viscosity increased due to the decrease in temperature and the increase in crystal content. The mineralogical assemblage comprises Sp + Plg (dominant) ± Cpx with an overall crystal fraction (?) between 0.06 and 0.27, increasing with undercooling and flow conditions. Both degree of undercooling and deformation rate deeply affect the kinetics of the crystallization process. Plagioclase nucleation incubation time strongly decreases with increasing ΔT and flow, while slow diffusion-limited growth characterizes low ΔT—low deformation rate experiments. Both Stromboli (high strain rate) and Etna (low strain rate) plagioclase growth rates (G) display relative small variations with Stromboli showing higher values (4.8 ± 1.9 × 10^?9 m s^?1) compared to Etna (2.1 ± 1.6 × 10^?9 m s^?1). Plagioclase average nucleation rates J continuously increase with undercooling from 1.4 × 10⁶ to 6.7 × 10⁶ m^?3 s^?1 for Stromboli and from 3.6 × 10⁴ to 4.0 × 10⁶ m^?3 s^?1 for Etna. The extremely low value of 3.6 × 10⁴ m^?3 s^?1 recorded at the lowest undercooling experiment for Etna (ΔT = 20 °C) indicates that the crystallization process is growth-dominated and that possible effects of textural coarsening occur. G values obtained in this paper are generally one or two orders of magnitude higher compared to those obtained in the literature for equivalent undercooling conditions. Stirring of the melt, simulating magma flow or convective conditions, facilitates nucleation and growth of crystals via mechanical transportation of matter, resulting in the higher J and G observed. Any modeling pertaining to magma dynamics in the conduit (e.g., ascent rate) and lava flow emplacement (e.g., flow rate, pāhoehoe–‘a‘ā transition) should therefore take the effects of dynamic crystallization into account.     

The dilatant behaviour of sand–pile interface subjected to loading and stress relief

Property and behaviour of sand–pile interface are crucial to shaft resistance of piles. Dilation or contraction of the interface soil induces change in normal stress, which in turn influences the shear stress mobilised at the interface. Although previous studies have demonstrated this mechanism by laboratory tests and numerical simulations, the interface responses are not analysed systematically in terms of soil state (i.e. density and stress level). The objective of this study is to understand and quantify any increase in normal stress of different pile–soil interfaces when they are subjected to loading and stress relief. Distinct element modelling was carried out. Input parameters and modelling procedure were verified by experimental data from laboratory element tests. Parametric simulations of shearbox tests were conducted under the constant normal stiffness, constant normal load and constant volume boundary conditions. Key parameters including initial normal stress ( $ \sigma_{{{\text{n}}0}}^{\prime } $ ), initial void ratio (e ₀), normal stiffness constraining the interface and loading–unloading stress history were investigated. It is shown that mobilised stress ratio ( $ \tau /\sigma_{\text{n}}^{\prime } $ ) and normal stress increment ( $ \Updelta \sigma_{\text{n}}^{\prime } $ ) on a given interface are governed by $ \sigma_{{{\text{n}}0}}^{\prime } $ and e ₀. An increase in $ \sigma_{{{\text{n}}0}}^{\prime } $ from 100 to 400 kPa leads to a 30 % reduction in $ \Updelta \sigma_{\text{n}}^{\prime } $ . An increase in e ₀ from 0.18 to 0.30 reduces $ \Updelta \sigma_{\text{n}}^{\prime } $ by more than 90 %, and therefore, shaft resistance is much lower for piles in loose sands. A unique relationship between $ \Updelta \sigma_{\text{n}}^{\prime } $ and normal stiffness is established for different soil states. It can be applied to assess the shaft resistance of piles in soils with different densities and subjected to loading and stress relief. Fairly good agreement is obtained between the calculated shaft resistance based on the proposed relationship and the measured results in centrifuge model tests.     

The thermodynamics of the I \overline{1} –P \overline{1} phase transition in Ca-rich plagioclase from an assessment of the spontaneous strain

In-situ powder diffraction measurements between 90 and 935?K on four anorthite-rich plagioclase samples (An₁₀₀, An₉₆Ab₄, An₈₉Ab₁₁ and An₇₈Ab₂₂) were used to determine the detailed evolution of these samples through the $I \overline{1} $ – $P \overline{1} $ phase transition. The c-type reflections indicative of $P \overline{1} $ symmetry were detected only in An₁₀₀, An₉₆Ab₄, whereas deviations in the evolution of the unit-cell parameters with temperature were observed in all samples, most prominently in the β unit-cell angle. The c-type reflections disappear at ~510 and ~425?K in An₁₀₀ and An₉₆Ab₄ respectively, and their intensity decreases according to a tricritical trend $ I^{2} \propto \left( {T - T_{\text{c}} } \right) $ . The cell parameter changes were used to determine the spontaneous strains arising from the transition which were modelled with Landau theory, allowing for low-temperature quantum saturation, in order to determine the thermodynamic behaviour. In An₁₀₀ tricritical behaviour was observed [T _c?=?512.7(4)?K; θ_s?=?394(4)] in good agreement with previous studies, and the c-type superlattice reflections indicative of $P \overline{1} $ symmetry persist up to the T _c determined from the spontaneous strain, and then disappear. The evolution of the spontaneous strain in An₉₆Ab₄ is tricritical at low temperatures [T _c?=?459(1) K, θ_s?=?396(5)] up to the temperature of disappearance of c-type reflections, but becomes second order beyond ~440?K. In An₈₉Ab₁₁ the strain displays second-order behaviour throughout [T _c?=?500(1) and θ_s?=?212(5)], and the c-type reflections are not detected in the powder diffraction patterns at any temperature. The apparent discrepancy between the absence of c-type reflections in temperature ranges where the cell parameters display significant spontaneous strain is resolved through consideration of the sizes of the anti-phase domains within the crystals. It is deduced that the tricritical phase transition occurs in well-ordered crystals with large domains in which the behavior of individual domains is dominant (i.e. in pure anorthite) or where the $P \overline{1} $ distortions within the domains are large enough to dominate the structural coherency strains between the domains. When both the magnitude of the $P \overline{1} $ pattern of displacements of the tetrahedral framework become smaller and the influence of the structural coherency between anti-phase domains becomes significant, the thermodynamic behavior becomes 2nd-order in character, the c-type reflections disappear, and the orientation of the spontaneous strain changes.     

Ternary feldspars: Kinetics and possible equilibria at 800° C

The ternary feldspar system KAlSi₃O₈ - NaAlSi₃O₈ - CaAl₂Si₂O₈ was reinvestigated at 650 ° C and 800 ° C (P _H2O = 1 kb) using mixtures of crystalline plagioclases and alkali feldspars as starting materials. The compositions of plagioclases and alkali feldspars of the run products were determined by X-ray means. The Or-content of the feldspar phases was determined by measuring the position of the (201) X-ray peak of the unexchanged feldspars, whereas the An-content was determined by measuring the same X-ray peak of the K-exchanged feldspars. The reaction rate of a reaction leading to a more An-rich plagioclase (type II reaction) is much faster than a reaction producing a more Ab-rich plagioclase (type I). In a type II reaction run times of approximately 20 days are needed to reach new constant plagioclase and alkali feldspar compositions at 650 ° C, and 10 days are needed to reach constant compositions at 800 ° C. In a reaction of type I only the outer zone of the plagioclases reacts to more Abrich compositions. A diffuse zone with a wide range of compositions was observed in 650 ° C runs. Equilibrium could not be reached in these experiments within 45 days. At 800 ° C a new zone having a specific composition develops in 42 days. This new zone is believed to be in equilibrium with the coexisting alkali feldspar. The depth of reaction is calculated as 0.03 μm after 42 days (800 ° C, P _f= 1 kb). The reaction between the two feldspar phases could be reversed at 800 ° C. The following compositions are considered to represent equilibrium data at 800 ° C and P _t = 1 kb:

An 43 Ab 51 Or 6 coexisting with Or 79 Ab 20 An 1, and

An 40 Ab 54 Or 6 coexisting with Or 75 Ab 24 An 1.

Recent data obtained with gels of ternary feldspar composition as starting materials do not agree with the results presented in this paper. Gels obviously crystallize spontaneously forming coexisting feldspars of non - equilibrium composition - alkali feldspars too rich in Ab and plagioclases too rich in An.     

Exsolution of Ca-clinopyroxene from orthopyroxene aided by deformation

Monoclinic calcium-poor shear-transformation lamellae and calcium-rich exsolution lamellae occur parallel to (100) in orthopyroxene. The formation of both structures from an orthopyroxene host involves a shear on (100) parallel to [001], with additional cation exchange in the exsolution case. The shear transformation involves a macroscopic simple shear angle of 13.3° (shear strain of 0.236) and produces a specific a-axis orientation with respect to the sense of shear; we have found that this orientation dominates in exsolution lamellae in kinked orthopyroxene, where the sense of shear is known. In undeformed orthopyroxene, there is generally no preferred sense of orientation of the monoclinic a axes. We advance a specific model for exsolution involving nucleation and growth by shear transformation combined with cation exchange, thus circumventing the classical nucleation barrier and permitting exsolution at lower solute supersaturations.     

Petrological cannibalism: the chemical and textural consequences of incremental magma body growth

The textures of minerals in volcanic and plutonic rocks testify to a complexity of processes in their formation that is at odds with simple geochemical models of igneous differentiation. Zoning in plagioclase feldspar is a case in point. Very slow diffusion of the major components in plagioclase means that textural evidence for complex magmatic evolution is preserved, almost without modification. Consequently, plagioclase affords considerable insight into the processes by which magmas accumulate in the crust prior to their eventual eruption or solidification. Here, we use the example of the 1980–1986 eruptions of Mount St. Helens to explore the causes of textural complexity in plagioclase and associated trapped melt inclusions. Textures of individual crystals are consistent with multiple heating and cooling events; changes in total pressure (P) or volatile pressure ( $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O ) are less easy to assess from textures alone. We show that by allying textural and chemical analyses of plagioclase and melt inclusions, including volatiles (H₂O, CO₂) and slow-diffusing trace elements (Sr, Ba), to published experimental studies of Mount St. Helens magmas, it is possible to disambiguate the roles of pressure and temperature to reconstruct magmatic evolutionary pathways through temperature–pressure–melt fraction (T– $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O –F) space. Our modeled crystals indicate that (1) crystallization starts at $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O  > 300 MPa, consistent with prior estimates from melt inclusion volatile contents, (2) crystal cores grow at $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O  = 200–280 MPa at F = 0.65–0.7, (3) crystals are transferred to $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O  = 100–130 MPa (often accompanied by 10–20 °C of heating), where they grow albitic rims of varying thicknesses, and (4) the last stage of crystallization occurs after minor heating at $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O  ~ 100 MPa to produce characteristic rim compositions of An₅₀. We hypothesize that modeled $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O decreases in excess of ~50 MPa most likely represent upward transport through the magmatic system. Small variations in modeled $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O , in contrast, can be effected by fluxing the reservoir with CO₂-rich vapors that are either released from deeper in the system or transported with the recharge magma. Temperature fluctuations of 20–40 °C, on the other hand, are an inevitable consequence of incremental, or pulsed, assembly of crustal magma bodies wherein each pulse interacts with ancestral, stored magmas. We venture that this “petrological cannibalism” accounts for much of the plagioclase zoning and textural complexity seen not only at Mount St. Helens but also at arc magmas generally. More broadly we suggest that the magma reservoir below Mount St. Helens is dominated by crystal mush and fed by frequent inputs of hotter, but compositionally similar, magma, coupled with episodes of magma ascent from one storage region to another. This view both accords with other independent constraints on the subvolcanic system at Mount St. Helens and supports an emerging view of many active magmatic systems as dominantly super-solidus, rather than subliquidus, bodies.