Transfer and exchange equilibria in a portion of the pyroxene quadrilateral as deduced from natural and experimental data

Differences in the chemical composition of metamorphic and igneous pyroxene minerals may be attributed to a transfer reaction, which determines the Ca content of the minerals, and an exchange reaction, which determines the relative Mg:Fe²⁺ ratios. Natural data for associated Ca pyroxene (Cpx) and orthopyroxene (Opx) or pigeonite are combined with experimental data for Fe-free pyroxenes, to produce the following equations for the Cpx slope of the solvus surface: $\text{> 1080°C: T =}\text{1000}\text{(0.468 + 0.246X}{}^{\mathrm{Cpx}}\text{? 0.123 ln (1–2 Ca]))}$$\text{< 1080°C: T =}\text{1000}\text{(0.054 + 0.608X}{}^{\mathrm{Cpx}}\text{? 0.304 ln (1–2 Ca]))}$, and the following equation for the temperature-dependence of the Mg-Fe distribution coefficient: $\text{T =}\text{1130}\text{(}\text{ln}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{p}}\text{+ 0.505)}$, where T is absolute temperature, X is $\text{Fe}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{(Mg + Fe}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{))}$, Ca] is $\text{Ca}\text{(Ca + Mg + Fe}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{)}$ in Cpx, and K_D is the distribution coefficient, defined as $\text{X}{}^{\mathrm{Opx}}\text{/(1 ? X}{}^{\mathrm{Opx}}\text{) ÷ X}{}_{\mathrm{Cpx}}\text{/(1 ?}{}^{\mathrm{Cpx}}\text{)}$.The transfer and exchange equations form useful temperature indicators, and when applied to 9 sets of well-studied rocks, yield pairs of temperatures that are in good agreement. For example, temperatures obtained for the Bushveld Complex are 1020°C (solvus equation) and 980°C (exchange equation), based on 7 specimens. The uncertainty in these numbers, due to precision and accuracy errors, is estimated to be ±60°.