Halogen diffusion in a basaltic melt

The diffusion of the halogens fluorine, chlorine and bromine was measured in a hawaiitic melt from Mt. Etna at 500 MPa and 1.0 GPa, 1250 to 1450 °C at anhydrous conditions; the diffusion of F and Cl in the melt was also studied with about 3 wt% of dissolved water. Experiments were performed using the diffusion-couple technique in a piston cylinder. Most experiments were performed with only one halogen diffusing between the halogen-enriched and halogen-poor halves of the diffusion couple, but a few experiments with a mixture of halogens (F, Cl and Br) were also performed in order to investigate the possibility of interactions between the halogens during diffusion. Fluorine and chlorine diffusivity show a very similar behavior, slightly diverging at low temperature. Bromine diffusion is a factor of about 2-5 lower than the other halogens in this study. Diffusion coefficients for fluorine range between 2.3 × 10⁻¹¹ and 1.4 × 10⁻¹⁰ m² s⁻¹, for chlorine between 1.1 × 10⁻¹¹ and 1.3 × 10⁻¹⁰ and for bromine between 9.4 × 10⁻¹² and 6.8 × 10⁻¹¹ m² s⁻¹. No pressure effect was detected at the conditions investigated. In experiments involving mixed halogens, the diffusivities appear to decrease slightly (by a factor of ∼3), and are more uniform among the three elements. However, activation energies for diffusion do not appear to differ between experiments with individual halogens or when they are all mixed together. The effect of water increases the diffusion coefficients of F and Cl by no more than a factor of 3 compared to the anhydrous melt (D_F = 4.0 × 10⁻¹¹ to 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ m² s⁻¹; D_Cl = 3.0 × 10⁻¹¹ to 1.9 × 10⁻¹⁰ m² s⁻¹). Comparing our results to the diffusion coefficients of other volatiles in nominally dry basaltic melts, halogen diffusivities are about one order of magnitude lower than H₂O, similar to CO₂, and a factor of ∼5 higher than S. The contrasting volatile diffusivities may affect the variable extent of volatile degassing upon melt depressurization and vesiculation, and can help our understanding of the compositions of rapidly grown magmatic bubbles.     

Evidence for lithium-aluminosilicate supersaturation of pegmatite-forming melts

New experimental data on the solubility of lithium (Li) at spodumene (LiAlSi₂O₆) and petalite (LiAlSi₄O₁₀) saturation at 500 MPa and 550–750 °C reveal evidence for lithium supersaturation of pegmatite-forming melts before the formation of Li-aluminosilicates. The degree of Li enrichment in granitic melts can reach ~11,000 ppm above the saturation value before the crystallization of Li-aluminosilicate minerals at lower temperatures. Comparison of the experimental results with the spodumene-rich Moblan pegmatite (Quebec) is consistent with extreme Li enrichment of the pegmatite-forming melt prior to emplacement, which cannot be explained with equilibrium crystallization of Li-aluminosilicates from a common granitic melt. The results of this study support the model of disequilibrium fractional crystallization through liquidus undercooling as the most plausible mechanism for the generation of such Li-rich ore resources.     

Hg and As Minerals in Fluid Inclusions from the Williams Mine,Hemlo,and Their Genetic Implications

The Hemlo mineralization is enigmatic compared to general Archean lode gold deposits based on the fact that is characterized by an exotic mineralogy containing elements such as As,Hg,Sb,Ba,V and Mo.The genetic concepts range from syngenetc to epigenetic types of mineralization.This reconnaissance study was designed to examine the relationshp of Hg-As minerals with respect of fluid inclusions in the Williams mine(formerly known as the Page Williams mine)covering the A and C ore zones.     

Earth system curator: metadata infrastructure for climate modeling

The Earth System Curator is a National Science Foundation sponsored project developing a metadata formalism for describing the digital resources used in climate simulations. The primary motivating observation of the project is that a simulation/model’s source code plus the configuration parameters required for a model run are a compact representation of the dataset generated when the model is executed. The end goal of the project is a convergence of models and data where both resources are accessed uniformly from a single registry. In this paper we review the current metadata landscape of the climate modeling community, present our work on developing a metadata formalism for describing climate models, and reflect on technical challenges we have faced that require new research in the area of Earth Science Informatics.     

Geological interpretation of current subsidence and uplift in the London area,UK, as shown by high precision satellite-based surveying

Long term planning for flood risk management in coastal areas requires timely and reliable information on changes in land and sea levels. A high resolution map of current changes in land levels in the London and Thames estuary area has been generated by satellite-based persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI), aligned to absolute gravity (AG) and global positioning system (GPS) measurements. This map has been qualitatively validated by geological interpretation, which demonstrates a variety of controlling influences on the rates of land level change, ranging from near-surface to deep-seated mechanisms and from less than a decade to more than 100,000 years’ duration.     

The relationship between the hawaiites and basalts of the itcha Volcanic Complex,central British Columbia

Volumetrically subordinate alkaline mafic lava flows form a late capping stage over the earlier felsic lavas that form the shield of the Itcha Volcanic Complex (IVC), of the Anahim Volcanic Belt (AVB) in central British Columbia (B.C.). The mafic capping stage of the IVC is dominated by hawaiites which are the earliest of the mafic lavas, and are succeeded by alkali olivine basalts (AOB) and then by basanites. The alkali olivine basalts can be subdivided into high-, intermediate- and low-MgO AOB groups, all of which share similar HFSE ratios (e.g. Nb/Zr) with the hawaiites. High Al contents and Sr/Zr ratios indicate that hawaiites and Fe-rich evolved AOB were derived from primitive AOB parental magmas by crystal fractionation of a wehrlitic assemblage at pressures on the order of 8 to 10 kbar. High Si and low Fe contents indicate that the majority of the evolved AOB lavas, however, do not represent an intermediate stage in the liquid line of descent to hawaiites, but were most likely produced by gabbroic fractionation from primitive AOB magmas at relatively low pressures. The parental magmas of the majority of these lavas were distinct from those of the observed high-MgO basalts, having higher HFSE contents and being more Si-under-saturated. The high Al, high Sr/Zr signature of high-pressure fractionation of a clinopyroxene-dominated assemblage in the IVC is shared by hawaiites of other alkaline volcanic suites of the Canadian Cordillera, such as the Edziza Volcanic Complex in northern B.C. and appears to be a feature of hawaiites in many localities, including Hawaii and Iceland. Viscosities calculated for both high- and low-pressure crystal fractionation models suggest that aphyric hawaiites are residual liquids escaped from a wehrlitic crystalline network, at elevated pressures, possibly at the base of the crust. Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove     

Thermodynamic analysis of the system Na2O-K2O-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O-F2O?1: Stability of fluorine-bearing minerals in felsic igneous suites

Thermodynamic analysis of the system Na₂O-K₂O-CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O-F₂O_–1 provides phase equilibria and solidus compatibilities of rock-forming silicates and fluorides in evolved granitic systems and associated hydrothermal processes. The interaction of fluorine with aluminosilicate melts and solids corresponds to progressive fluorination of their constituent oxides by the thermodynamic component F₂O_–1. The chemical potential (F₂O_–1) buffered by reaction of the type: MO_n/2 (s)+n/2 [F₂O_–1]=MF_n (s, g) where M=K, Na, Ca, Al, Si, explains the sequential formation of fluorides: carobbiite, villiaumite, fluorite, AlF₃, SiF₄ as well as the common coexistence of alkali- and alkali-earth fluorides with rock-forming aluminosilicates. Formation of fluorine-bearing minerals first starts in peralkaline silica-undersaturated, proceeds in peraluminous silica-oversaturated compositions and causes progressive destabilization of nepheline, albite and quartz, in favour of villiaumite, cryolite, topaz, chiolite. Additionally, it implies the increase of buffered fluorine solubilities in silicate melts or aqueous fluids from peralkaline silica-undersaturated to peraluminous silica-oversaturated environments. Subsolidus equilibria reveal several incompatibilities: (i) topaz is unstable with nepheline or villiaumite; (ii) chiolite is not compatible with albite because it only occurs only at very high F₂O_–1 levels. The stability of topaz, fluorite, cryolite and villiaumite in natural felsic systems is related to their peralkalinity (peraluminosity), calcia and silica activity, and linked by corresponding chemical potentials to rock-forming mineral buffers. Villiaumite is stable in strongly peralkaline and Ca-poor compositions (An_<0.001). Similarly, cryolite stability requires coexistence with nearly-pure albite (An_<2). Granitic rocks with Ca-bearing plagioclase (An_>5) saturate with topaz or fluorite. Crystallization of topaz is restricted to peraluminous conditions, consistent with the presence of Li-micas or anhydrous aluminosilicates (cordierite, garnet, andalusite). Fluorite is predicted to be stable in peraluminous biotite granites, amphibole-, clinopyroxene- or titanite-bearing calc-alkaline suites as well as in peralkaline granitic and syenitic rocks. Fluorine concentrations in felsic melts buffered by the coexistence of F-bearing minerals and feldspars increase from peralkaline through metaluminous to mildly peraluminous compositions. At low-temperature conditions, the hydrothermal evolution of peraluminous granitic and greisen systems is controlled by white mica-feldspar-fluoride equilibria. With decreasing temperature, topaz gradually breaks down via: (i) (OH)F_–1 substitution and fluorine transfer to fluorite by decalcification of plagioclase below 600 °C, (ii) formation of muscovite and additional fluorite at 475–315 °C, and (iii) formation of paragonite and cryolite, consuming F-rich topaz and albite below 315 °C. These equilibria explain the absence of magmatic fluorite in Ca-bearing topaz granitic rocks; its abundance in hydrothermal rocks is due to: (i) closed-system defluorination of topaz, (ii) open-system decalcification of plagioclase or (iii) hydrolytic alteration. These results provide a complete framework for the investigation of fluorine-bearing mineral stabilities in felsic igneous suites.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove     

西藏拉萨地块西部扎布耶茶卡火山岩的成因与意义

近年来在青藏高原南部拉萨地块不断发现的碰撞后钾质和超钾质岩石,对于揭示印度与亚洲大陆碰撞以来高原岩石圈的深部作用与过程发挥了重要作用。分布在拉萨地块西部扎布耶茶卡东岸的钾质和超钾质火山岩主体喷发时代为中新世（约16Ma）,出露面积约为400km2,火山岩持续喷发0.45Ma,估算的喷发速率约为0.26×10-3km3/a。岩石包括3种类型,第一类（约16Ma）为超钾质的粗面安山岩,SiO2低（55%~58 %）,高Fe2O3、MgO、TiO2;第二类（约27Ma）为钾玄质的响岩和粗面岩;第三类是高SiO2的钾玄质—超钾质粗面岩（SiO2＝59%~64％）和流纹岩（SiO2＝69％）。岩石显示轻稀土元素、大离子亲石元素高度富集和部分高场强元素亏损的特征,部分中酸性岩石显示高Sr低Y的埃达克岩的属性。岩石的Sr-Nd-Pb-O同位素组成与拉萨地块典型的超钾质岩石明显不同,显示亲青藏高原北部地球化学省的地球化学特征。扎布耶茶卡不同类型的岩浆代表了碰撞后高原南部岩石圈减薄作用导致的岩石圈不同层次的岩石部分熔融的产物。