Pyroxenes in the system Mg2Si2O6-CaMgSi2O6 at high pressure

The enstatite-diopside solvus in the system Mg₂Si₂O₆-CaMgSi₂O₆ has been experimentally determined within the pressure range 5–40 kbars and the temperature range 900–1500°C. Experiments involving reversal of the phase boundaries by unmixing from glass starting material and by reaction of pure clinoenstatite and diopside showed difficulty in achieving equilibration due to persistence of metastable, subcalcic clinopyroxene and to the sluggishness of reaction rate. The experimental data showed that the temperature dependence of the diopside limb is less than previously accepted. At 1500°C and 30 kbars subcalcic diopside found by Davis and Boyd (1966) is shown to be metastable with respect to enstatite and more calcic diopside of composition En_42.3Di_57.7. The solvus widens with increasing pressure between 5 and 40 kbars at 1200°C, but at 900°C the pressure effect on the solvus is very small. The stability relationships of the four pyroxenes, protoenstatite, enstatite, iron-free pigeonite and diopside are summarized, based on data from the literature and the present study.     

Eutectic between wollastonite II and calcite contrasted with thermal barrier in MgO-SiO2-CO2 at 30 kilobars,with applications to kimberlite-carbonatite petrogenesis

In the join CaCO₃-CaSiO₃ at 30 kbars, calcite melts at 1615°C, wollastonite II at 1600°C, and a binary eutectic occurs at 1365°C with liquid composition 43 wt.% CaCO₃, 57 wt.% CaSiO₃. The eutectic liquid quenches to a glass with few quench crystals. In the join MgCO₃-MgSiO₃ at 30 kbars, magnesite melts at 1590°C, enstatite at 1837°C, and the fields for the primary crystallization of magnesite and enstatite are separated by a thermal barrier near 1900°C for the melting of forsterite in the presence of CO₂. Only about 10 wt.% MgSiO₃ dissolves in the carbonate liquid. These data, are considered together with incomplete results for joins CaMgSi₂O₆-CaMg(CO₃)₂, CaMgSi₂O₆-MgCO₃, CaMgSi₂O₆-CaCO₃, and other published data in the system CaO-MgO-SiO₂-CO₂. A thermal barrier separates the silicate and carbonate liquids in MgO-SiO₂-CO₂ but, in the quaternary system, silicate liquids with dissolved CO₂ can follow fractionation paths around the forsterite field to the fields for the primary crystallization of carbonates. This suggests that fractional crystallization of CO₂-bearing ultrabasic magma at 100 km depth can produce residual carbonatite magma.     

The system enstatite-wollastonite at high pressures and temperatures,with emphasis on diopside

High-pressure phase transformations for three intermediate compositions (including diopside) in the system enstatite (MgSiO₃)-wollastonite (CaSiO₃) were investigated in the pressure range 100–300 kbar at about 1000°C in a diamond-anvil press coupled with laser heating. The phase behaviour of the two end components (enstatite and wollastonite) at high pressure has been reported earlier. The results of this study reveal that there is very limited solid solution of diopside (CaMgSi₂O₆) in the various high-pressure phase assemblages of enstatite. At pressures greater than about 200 kbar, diopside and a composition between diopside and wollastonite were found to transform into non-quenchable phases, as does wollastonite. It is thought probable that diopside and wollastonite form solid solutions with the perovskite structure at high pressure, but that on release of pressure it is not possible to preserve the high-pressure modification.     

Synthesis of pyrope-knorringite solid solution series

The garnet solid solution series between pyrope Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ and knorringite Mg₃Cr₂Si₃O₁₂ has been synthesized from oxide mixtures at pressures of 60–80 kbars and 1400–1500°C. Lattice parameters and refractive indices of solid solutions vary linearly with (molecular) composition within the limits of measurement. The lattice parameter of pure knorringite is 11.600Åand its refractive index is 1.83. The genetic significance of mineral inclusions in natural diamonds is discussed, particularly in the light of the very high knorringite contents often found in garnet inclusions. It is suggested that the most common mineral assemblage occurring as inclusions in diamonds (olivine + knorringite-rich garnet + enstatite) might be explained in terms of subduction into the mantle of olivine + chrome-spinel + enstatite cumulates originally formed by crystallization of mafic magmas within the oceanic crust. The cumulate assemblage experienced alteration by circulating hydrothermal solutions, resulting in the introduction of some carbonate and serpentine minerals. During subduction, this assemblage was partially melted at depth below 150 km, accompanied by reduction of carbonate, to form a reconstituted assemblage consisting of olivine + knorringite-rich garnet + enstatite ± diamond.     

Stability field of knorringite Mg3Cr2Si3O12 at high pressure and its implication to the occurrence of Cr-rich pyrope in the upper mantle

The stability field of knorringite (Mg₃Cr₂Si₃O₁₂) is studied experimentally. Knorringite is stable at pressures above 10.5 GPa at 1200°C and 11.8 GPa at 1400°C. Below these pressures, knorringite decomposes to enstatite + eskolaite. A phase diagram of the pyrope-knorringite system is described based on the available experimental data. The solubility of the knorringite molecule in pyrope is essentially dependent only on pressure, and the Cr/Cr+Al value of garnet is considered to be an indicator of the minimum pressure of equilibration. Consideration of the genesis of Cr-rich pyrope and other peridotitic inclusions in diamonds indicates that the fractionation process should have taken place, at least at depths to ca. 240 km, to give rise to the Cr-rich complement of Cr-poor upper mantle materials such as undepleted lherzolite. The knorringite-rich peridotitic suite in diamond will be identified with this complement, which may be the material constituting the deep upper mantle.     

Melting relationships in CaO-CO2 and MgO-CO2 to 36 kilobars with comments on CO2 in the mantle

The melting curves of CaCO₃ and MgCO₃ have been extended to pressures of 36 kb by experiments in piston-cylinder apparatus. At 30 kb, the melting temperatures of calcite and magnesite are 1610°C and 1585°C, respectively. New data for the magnesite dissociation reaction permit the location of an invariant point for the assemblage magnesite + periclase + liquid + vapor near 26 kb-1550°C. New data are also presented for the calcite-aragonite transition at 800°C, 950°C and 1100°C. At pressures above 36–50 kb, calcite and magnesite melt at temperatures lower than the solidus of dry mantle peridotite. Natural and experimental evidence suggests that carbon dioxide in the Earth's mantle could be present in a variety of forms: (a) a free vapor phase, (b) vapor dissolved in silicate magma, (c) crystalline carbonate, (d) carbonatite liquid, (e) carbon-bearing silicate analogs, or (f) carbonato-silicates (such as scapolite, spurrite, tilleyite, and related compounds).     

Experimental investigation on forsterite-grossularite incompatibility in presence of excess water

A mixture containing equal amounts of forsterite and grossularite by weight (Fo₅₀Gr₅₀) has been studied at temperatures between 750 and 1400°C under pressures ranging from 6 to 25 kbar in presence of excess water. The assemblages noted under low pressure (<8 kbar) are as follows: Diopside_ss+forsterite_ss+monticellite_ss+vapor and Diopside_ss+forsterite_ss+monticellite_ss+liquid+vapor. (ss denotes solid solution) Under intermediate pressures between 8 and 24 kbar following assemblages were noted in the order of increasing temperature: Diopside_ss+forsterite_ss+spinel+vapor, Diopside_ss+forsterite_ss+spinel+liquid+vapor, Diopside_ss+forsterite_ss+liquid+vapor, and Forsterite_ss+liquid+vapor. At pressures above 24 kbar the assemblages are as follows: Diopside_ss+forsterite_ss+garnet+vapor, Diopside_ss+forsterite_ss+garnet+liquid+vapor, Diopside_ss+forsterite_ss+liquid+vapor, and Forsterite_ss+liquid+vapor. Electron microprobe analyses of diopside and forsterite crystallized at 1050°C and 23 kbar, show that the former contains 6 to 6.5 wt % of Al₂O₃ as solid solution whereas the latter incorporates 1.3 wt % of monticellite in solid solution. The monticellite content of forsterite increases at low pressures at a given temperature to about 6 wt % at 1050°C and 6 kbar. The study indicates that forsteritic olivine does not coexist with pure grossularite in the studied temperature and pressure ranges, although the former is in equilibrium with pyrope-rich garnet, containing 23 mole % grossularite. The study supports the conclusion ofWerner andLuth (1973) that the solubility of monticellite in forsterite decreases with increasing pressure at a given temperature. The results of the investigation are also in agreement with the findings ofKushiro andYoder (1966), who noted that spinel peridotites found in folded belts and in alkalic basalts are produced under intermediate pressures, whereas garnet peridotite xenoliths found in kimberlite and in orogenic belts are formed at high pressures.     

Fluid-absent melting of the fluoro-hydroxy amphibole pargasite to 35 kilobars

In order to evaluate the effect of fluorine substitution on hornblende stability in basaltic melts, the upper stability of a synthetic pargasite with 43% of its OH sites replaced by fluorine was studied under fluid-absent conditions at pressures up to 35 kbars. The fluorohydroxy pargasite melts incongruently over an interval of 25–55°C depending on pressure. Liquid, amphibole, clinopyroxene, spinel, forsterite and garnet, at higher pressures, appear in the melting interval. Coordinates for the amphibole-out boundary are: 5 kbars, 1060°C; 15 kbars, 1230°C; 25 kbars, 1285°C; 30 kbars, 1290°C and 35 kbars, 1285°C.Substitution of F for OH in the amphibole structure increases both its temperature and pressure stability limits, and results in a substantial melting interval through which hornblende and melt coexist in fluid-absent situations. Partial melting events could produce fluorine-rich hornblende as a refractory, residual phase.     

Diamond-bearing and diamond-free metacarbonate rocks from Kumdy–Kol in the Kokchetav Massif, northern Kazakhstan

Abstract Dolomite marble from the Kumdy–Kol area of the Kokchetav Massif contains abundant microdiamond, mainly in garnet and a few in diopside. The mineral assemblage at peak metamorphic condition consists of dolomite + diopside + garnet (+ aragonite) ± diamond. Inclusions of very low MgCO₃ calcite and almost pure calcite occur in diopside and are interpreted as aragonite and/or aragonite + dolomite. Single-phase Mg–calcite in diopside with a very high MgCO₃ component (up to 21.7 mol%) was also found in diamond-free dolomitic marble, and is interpreted as a retrograde product from aragonite + dolomite to Mg–calcite. The dolomite stability constrains the maximum pressure (P) at < 7 GPa using previous experimental data, whereas the occurrence of diamond yields the minimum peak pressure–temperature (P–T) condition at 4.2 GPa and 980 °C at X co ₂ = 0.1. The highest MgCO₃ in Mg–calcite constrains the minimum P–T condition higher than 2.5 GPa and 800 °C for the exhumation stage. As these marbles were subjected to nearly identical P–T metamorphic conditions, the appearance of diamond in some carbonate rocks was explained by high X co ₂. A low X co ₂ condition refers to high oxidized conditions and diamond (and/or graphite) becomes unstable. Difference in X co ₂ for marble from the same area suggests local heterogeneity of fluid compositions during ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism.     

Pyroxene-garnet solid-solution equilibria in the systems Mg4Si4O12Mg3Al2Si3O12 and Fe4Si4O12Fe3Al2Si3O12 at high pressures and temperatures

Pyroxene-garnet solid-solution equilibria have been studied in the pressure range 41–200 kbar and over the temperature range 850–1,450°C for the system Mg₄Si₄O₁₂Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂, and in the pressure range 30–105 kbar and over the temperature range 1,000–1,300°C for the system Fe₄Si₄O₁₂Fe₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂. At 1,000°C, the solid solubility of enstatite (MgSiO₃) in pyrope (Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂) increases gradually to 140 kbar and then increases suddenly in the pressure range 140–175 kbar, resulting in the formation of a homogeneous garnet with composition Mg₃(Al_0.8Mg_0.6Si_0.6)Si₃O₁₂. In the MgSiO₃-rich field, the three-phase assemblage of β- or γ-Mg₂SiO₄, stishovite and a garnet solid solution is stable at pressures above 175 kbar at 1,000°C. The system Fe₄Si₄O₁₂Fe₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ shows a similar trend of high-pressure transformations: the maximum solubility of ferrosilite (FeSiO₃) in almandine (Fe₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂) forming a homogeneous garnet solid solution is 40 mol% at 93 kbar and 1,000°C.If a pyrolite mantle is assumed, from the present results, the following transformation scheme is suggested for the pyroxene-garnet assemblage in the mantle. Pyroxenes begin to react with the already present pyrope-rich garnet at depths around 150 km. Although the pyroxene-garnet transformation is spread over more than 400 km in depth, the most effective transition to a complex garnet solid solution takes place at depths between 450 and 540 km. The complex garnet solid solution is expected to be stable at depths between 540 and 590 km. At greater depths, it will decompose to a mixture of modified spinel or spinel, stishovite and garnet solid solutions with smaller amounts of a pyroxene component in solution.     

Experimental investigation of phase transformations of olivine and enstatite at the lower part of the mantle transition zone: Implications for structure of the 660 km seismic discontinuity

High-pressure polymorphs of olivine and enstatite are major constituent minerals in the mantle transition zone(MTZ).The phase transformations of olivine and enstatite at pressure and temperature conditions corresponding to the lower part of the MTZ are import for understanding the nature of the 660 km seismic discontinuity.In this study,we determine phase transformations of olivine(MgSi2O4) and enstatite(MgSiO3) systematiclly at pressures between 21.3 and 24.4 GPa and at a constant temperature of 1600℃.The most profound discrepancy between olivine and enstatite phase transformation is the occurency of perovskite.In the olivine system,the post-spinel transformation occures at 23.8 GPa,corresponding to a depth of 660 km.In contrast,perovskite appears at 23 GPa(640 km) in the enstatite system.The ~1 GPa gap could explain the uplifting and/or splitting of the 660 km seismic discountinuity under eastern China.     

Petrogenetic grid for ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism in the model system CaO-MgO-SiO2-CO2-H2O

Abstract Petrogenetic grids for ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism were calculated at different X_co2 conditions in the model system CaO-MgO-SiO₂-CO₂-H₂O involving coesite (Co), diopside (Di), dolomite (Do), enstatite (En), forsterite (Fo), magnesite (Ms), quartz (Qz), talc (Tc), tremolite (Tr) using a published internally consistent thermodynamic data set. Two P-T grids at X_co2= 0.01 and 0.5 are described. In the calculated P-T grid at X_co2= 0.01, four out of 10 stable invariant points, Co-En-Ms-Tc, Co-Di-En-Tc-Tr, Co-Di-Ms-Tc-Tr and Di-En-Ms-Tc-Tr lie within the stability field of coesite. If the fluid phase has X_co2= 0.5, no invariant point is stable under UHP conditions. Some magnesite-bearing assemblages are stabilized by the following three reactions: Di + Ms = Do + Fo + CO₂, Ms + Tr = Do + Fo + CO₂+ H₂O and Ms + Tc = Fo+ CO₂+ H₂O at X_co2= 0.01 and by reaction Ms + Tc = Fo + CO₂+ H₂O together with these three at X_co2= 0.5. Ten possible UHP assemblages for mafic and ultramafic compositions at very low X_co2 conditions include the following: Co-Do-Ms, Co-Di-Ms, Co-Di-Tc, Di-Ms-Tc, Di-En-Tc-, Di-En-Ms, Co-Di-En, Di-En-Fo, Di-Fo-Ms, Di-Do-Fo. Among them, talc-bearing assemblages are restricted to X_co2 < 0.02 and their high-P limit is 31.7 kb (749°C) at X_co2= 0.01. Dolomite-magnesite-silica assemblages have large P-T stability fields even if X_co2 is as low as 0.1, and could occur in cold subduction zones with very low geothermal gradients. Reported UHP coesite-dolomite assemblage is restricted only to a calc-silicate rock interlayered with marble where X_co2 is relatively higher; no such assemblage appears for mafic and ultramafic rocks with low X_co2 evidenced by the occurrence of diopside (or omphacite) at the expense of dolomite + coesite. The effect of X_co2 on the stability of coesite-dolomite-magnesite, diopside-enstatite-magnesite, diopside-talc assemblages is examined and the occurrence of coesite-dolomite, magnesite-bearing and talc-bearing assemblages in the Dabie UHP rocks are interpreted by employing the calculated P-T grids.     

Occurrences of hydrous and carbonate phases in ultrahigh-pressure rocks from east-central China: Implications for the role of volatiles deep in cold subduction zones

Abstract Minor epidote-zoisite, phengite, glaucophane, nyböite, talc, magnesite, and dolomite occur as matrix phases or as mineral inclusions in some ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks from the Dabie-Sulu terrane. Some of these phases contain inclusions of coesite or coesite pseudomorphs and appear to have been in equilibrium with coesite at the time of formation. Their occurrences in the UHP rocks together with experimentally determined and calculated phase relations indicate that they are stable at mantle depths in relatively low-temperature environments. Because of the apparently dry nature of subducted continental protoliths of the Yangtze craton, small amounts of volatile components at depths exceeding 50 km along a cold subduction zone may have been stored mainly by these hydrous and carbonate phases. These minerals, in addition to some dense hydrous magnesian silicates, act as important carriers for H₂O and CO₂ recycled at mantle depths. Available petrological and geochemical data support limited or no fluid flow in this region. At very high pressures and low temperatures, the subducted sialic crust evidently served as a desiccating agent. Partial melting of the subducting slab, therefore, may not have occurred, and near absence of volatile expulsion from the subducting slab to the overlying mantle wedge + continental crust may have inhibited large-scale partial melting, accounting for the lack of a typical contemporaneous calc-alkaline magmatic arc.     

Correlating specific conductivity with total hardness in limestone and dolomite karst waters

Under field conditions modern digital conductivity meters give standardized, rapid and reproducible measurements. Here we investigate the accuracy of their estimates of the composition of karst waters, as total hardness (TH, as mg/L CaCO₃) for limestone and dolomite. These are the fundamental measures of process in carbonate karst geomorphology. PHREEQC theoretical curves for the dissolution of pure calcite/aragonite and dolomite in water at 25 °C are compared with water analyses from karst studies worldwide. Other principal ions encountered are sulphates, nitrates and chlorides (the ‘SNC’ group). From carbonate karsts, 2309 spring, well and stream samples were divided into uncontaminated (SNC < 10%), moderately contaminated (10 < SNC < 20%), and contaminated (SNC > 20%) classes. Where specific conductivity (SpC) is less than 600 µS/cm, a clear statistical distinction can be drawn between waters having little contamination and substantially contaminated waters with SNC > 20%. As sometimes claimed in manufacturers' literature, in ‘clean’ limestone waters TH is close to ¹/2SpC, with a standard error of 2–3 mg/L. The slope of the best‐fit line for 1949 samples covering all SNC classes where SpC < 600 µS/cm is 1·86, very close to the 1·88 obtained for clean limestone waters; however, the value of the intercept is ten times higher. The regression line for clean limestone waters where SpC > 600 µS/cm helps to distinguish polluted waters from clean waters with possible endogenic sources of CO₂. In the range 250 < SpC < 600 µS/cm, dolomite waters can be readily distinguished from limestone waters. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Is upper-mantle phosphorus contained in sodic garnet?

Garnets crystallized experimentally from within the anhydrous melting ranges of an olivine tholeiite, a tholeiitic andesite and an augite leucitite at pressures between 18 and 45 kbars contain up to 0.4% Na₂O and 0.6% P₂O₅. The Na and P are thought to form a substitution couple, replacing Ca and Si in the garnet structure; representing limited solid solution between grossular (Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂) and the phosphate Na₃Al₂P₃O₁₂. This substitution is enhanced by increasing pressure and by falling temperature (increasing degree of crystallization) at constant pressure.Current knowledge of the crystalline site of P in the upper mantle is hampered by lack of data on the stability of apatite and other phosphates at appropriate pressures and temperatures. If all samples of garnetiferous upper mantle brought to the surface by magmatic processes have been depleted to some extent by previous escape of a partial-melt fraction, P₂O₅ concentrations below 0.1% in their garnets could nevertheless signify that this phase was the sole predepletion host for P in the upper mantle, at the depths from which such inclusions are derived. If garnet and apatite are the principal minerals containing P in the upper mantle, it may be possible to use covariances between P and rare-earth elements in mafic liquids to detect which of these phases was the dominant host for P at the site of magma genesis. This approach confirms the widely-held opinion that strongly alkalic mafic magmas are products of upper-mantle partial fusion in the presence of residual garnet. It also leads to a contrasting proposal that mid-ocean ridge basalts may be generated by upper-mantle partial fusion at comparatively small depths, in the presence of residual apatite.     

High-pressure phases of CaCO3: Crystal structure prediction and experiment

Post-aragonite phase of CaCO₃, experimentally known to be stable above 40 GPa [S. Ono, T. Kikegawa, Y. Ohishi, J. Tsuchiya, Post-aragonite phase transformation in CaCO₃ at 40 GPa, Am. Mineral. 90 (2005) 667–671], is believed to be a major carbon-containing mineral in the Earth's mantle. Crystal structure of this mineral phase could not be solved using experimental data or traditional theoretical simulation methods and remained a controversial issue. Using a combination of advanced ab initio simulation techniques and high-pressure experiment, we have been able to determine the crystal structure of CaCO₃ post-aragonite. Here, we performed simulations with the USPEX code [C.W. Glass, A.R. Oganov, and N. Hansen, (in preparation). USPEX: a universal structure prediction program], which is based on an evolutionary algorithm using ab initio free energy as the fitness function. This novel methodology for crystal structure prediction, which uses only the chemical composition as input, is described in detail. For CaCO₃, we identify a number of energetically competitive structures, the most stable of which closely matches the experimental powder diffraction pattern and, in agreement with experiment, becomes more stable than aragonite above 42 GPa. This structure belongs to a new structure type, which is also adopted by the high-pressure post-aragonite phases of SrCO₃ and BaCO₃. It has 2 formula units in the orthorhombic unit cell (space group Pmmn) and contains triangular CO₃²⁻ ions and Ca²⁺ ions in the 12-fold coordination. Above 137 GPa, a pyroxene-type structure (space group C222₁) with chains of CO₄⁴⁻ tetrahedra becomes more stable than post-aragonite. For MgCO₃, this structure becomes more stable than magnesite above 106 GPa and is a good candidate structure for MgCO₃ post-magnesite.     

Studies in diffusion,IV. Pressure dependence of Ar diffusion in phlogopite mica

Radiogenic Ar diffusion from phlogopite mica has been measured at 900° and 1080°C at 15 kbars pressure, using a Griggs-type hot creep tester operated at hydrostatic pressure, and followed by standard mass spectrometric analysis. The diffusion coefficients fall within the uncertainty of the diffusion results reported by Giletti (1974) at 1 kbar at 900° and on extrapolation of that Arrhenius plot to 1080°C. That linear plot is given by D₀ = 0.75 and Q = 57.9kcal/g-atom Ar. In the observed temperature range, the effect of pressure up to 15 kbars is not significant. A second Ar diffusion, which employed Ca(OH)₂-CaO as a water buffer, was run at 1 atm H₂O pressure and 550°C for 781 days. The resulting diffusion coefficient agrees, within the uncertainty, with the extrapolation of the earlier curve. This result, and both earlier ones at 600°, are similar in that they fall below the curve. Consequently, despite the agreement within the uncertainty, it is possible that diffusion of Ar from phlogopite below 650°C is somewhat slower than given by the above equation parameters.     

Mineralogy and petrology of the Abee enstatite chondrite breccia and its dark inclusions

The Abee E4 enstatite chondrite breccia consists of clasts (many rimmed by metallic Fe, Ni), dark inclusions and matrix. The clasts and matrix were well equilibrated by thermal metamorphism, as evidenced by uniform mineral compositions, recrystallized chondrules, low MnO content of enstatite and high abundance of orthoenstatite. The clasts acquired their metal-rich rims prior to this metamorphic episode. The occurrence in Abee of relatively unmetamorphosed dark inclusions, clasts with nearly random magnetic orientations and a matrix with a uniform magnetic orientation [18,19] indicates that clast and matrix metamorphism occurred prior to the agglomeration of the breccia.The dark inclusions are an unusual kind of enstatite chondritic material, distinguished from the clasts and matrix by their relative enrichments in REE [21–23], low relative abundances of kamacite, total metallic Fe, Ni and silica, lower niningerite/(total sulfide) ratios, high relative abundances of oldhamite and martensite, smaller euhedral enstatite, more heterogeneous enstatite and metallic Fe, Ni, more calcic enstatite and more nickeliferous schreibersite.We propose the following model for the petrogenesis of the Abee breccia: The maximum metamorphic temperature of breccia parent material was?- 840°C (the minimum temperature of formation of Abee niningerite) and perhaps near 950–1000°C (the Fe-Ni-S eutectic temperature). Euhedral enstatite crystals in metallic Fe, Ni- and sulfide-rich areas grew at these metamorphic temperatures into pliable metal and sulfide. Breccia parent material was impact-excavated from depth, admixed with dark inclusions and rapidly cooled (700 to 200°C in about 2 hours) [15]. During this cooling, clast and matrix material acquired thermal remanent magnetization. Random conglomeration of clasts and unconsolidated matrix materials caused the clasts to have random magnetic orientations and the matrix areas to have net magnetic intensities of zero (due to the cancellation of numerous randomly oriented magnetic vectors of equal intensity in the matrix). A subsequent ambient magnetic field imparted a uniform net magnetic orientation to the matrix and caused the magnetic orientations of the clasts to be somewhat less random. The Abee breccia was later consolidated, possibly by shock or by shallow burial and very long-period/low-temperature (< 215°C) metamorphism.     

Crystallization temperature and gas phase composition of alkaline effusives as indicated by primary melt inclusions in the phenocrysts

Minerals formed during magma crystallization trap droplets of melt that are preserved as primary or secondary inclusions. Depending on the rate of cooling, the droplets may solidify as glass, or crystallize. Inclusions may contain one or more bubbles, or none. When inclusions are heated the glass or crystalline material are melted and the inclusion expands, the size of bubbles diminishes, and homogenization of the inclusion occurs. It is possible to observe these transformations by means of high-temperature cameras which permit visual observations to 1600°C and above. The possibility of using the homogenization of inclusions to determine the temperature of formation of the host mineral has been demonstrated experimentally, using inclusions in artificial diopside formed at 1300 ± 10°. Melt inclusions in phenocrysts from nepheline basalt, fergusite porphyry, and tephrite were investigated. In the leucite-bearing rocks leucite crystallized at 1600° or above, and clinopyroxene in the range 1380–1250°. The central part of olivines in nepheline basalt formed at 1290–1270° and the peripheral zones at 1160–1120°; nepheline formed at 1290–1250°; the central part of pyroxenes at 1280–1250° and the peripheral zones at 1160–1120°. These temperatures suggest almost dry magma. Gas from the bubbles of individual inclusions has been analyzed. The predominant gaseous component of the early crystallization stage of the nepheline basalt and fergusite porphry was CO₂, H₂S, SO₂, NH., HCl, HF, and H. comprise less than 5 volume percent except in olivine of olivine basalt in which the total content of these gases was on average 6.22 volume percent, and in leucite of fergusite porphyry in which H₂ was on average 12.7 volume percent. The main gas component in the crystallization of the leucite tephrite were nitrogen and rare gases. Liquid hydrocarbons in the secondary inclusions in pyroxene from nepheline basalt can be accounted for by their assimilation by the magma from enclosing rocks during its rise.     

Stability of forsterite + CO2 and its bearing on the role of CO2 in the mantle

An experimental determination of the reaction MgCO₃ + MgSiO₃ = Mg₂SiO₄ + CO₂ between 20 and 40 kbars and in the range 1000–1500°C yields an average pressure effect on the equilibrium of 44 bars/°C. This result shows that the assemblage forsterite and carbon dioxide is not stable under most pressure and temperature conditions expected in the upper mantle. Hypotheses requiring the presence of free CO₂ in the low-velocity zone, CO₂ as a drive mechanism for kimberlite emplacement, or action of a free CO₂ phase in ultramafic rocks may need considerable revision.