ALBERT

Description: Numerous models have been developed to simulate the reaction of magmas to changes of thermodynamic variables, such as pressure, temperature, oxygen fugacity, and water activity. However, the extensive experimental database still lacks information on the distinct effect of small amounts of H 2 O on olivine + plagioclase + clinopyroxene cotectic crystallization in tholeiitic basalt. We present an experimental study addressing the effects of pressure (at 100, 200, 400, and 700 MPa) and small amounts of H 2 O on phase relations and liquid lines of descent in three tholeiitic basalts representing different evolutionary stages of the Shatsky Rise oceanic plateau magmatic system (compositions AH6, AH3, and AH5 with 8·6, 8·0, and 6·4 wt % MgO, respectively). Two experimental approaches (dry and low H 2 O) are designed to maintain contrasting H 2 O activities during crystallization using (1) graphite–platinum double capsules to perform nearly anhydrous experiments (〈0·15 wt % H 2 O in the melt) and (2) Fe pre-saturated Au 20 Pd 80 capsules to obtain low melt H 2 O contents ranging from 0·4 to 1·1 wt % H 2 O. Under dry conditions, at lower pressures (≤400 MPa), the crystallization in the MgO-rich AH6 and intermediate AH3 basalts follows the typical sequence of tholeiitic differentiation with olivine crystallization at the liquidus followed by olivine + plagioclase and olivine + plagioclase + clinopyroxene. Both basalts are close to multiple saturation at pressures between 400 and 700 MPa. At high pressure (700 MPa) the crystallization sequence is reversed, starting with clinopyroxene at the liquidus. Under low-H 2 O conditions, AH6 and AH3 are very close to multiple saturation, even at the low pressures of 100 and 200 MPa, and the reversed crystallization sequence (clinopyroxene, plagioclase + clinopyroxene, olivine + plagioclase + clinopyroxene) is observed already at 400 MPa. In contrast to the two more MgO-rich basalts, in the most evolved AH5 basalt, clinopyroxene is the liquidus phase at all investigated pressures and under both dry and low-H 2 O conditions, followed by crystallization of plagioclase + clinopyroxene and olivine + plagioclase + clinopyroxene. The most striking observation in our experiments is that the stability of clinopyroxene increases not only with pressure increase but also in the presence of small amounts of H 2 O (when compared with dry counterparts at similar pressures). Small amounts of H 2 O increase the proportion of clinopyroxene in the olivine + plagioclase + clinopyroxene phase assemblage. Our experiments clearly show that the effect of adding 0·4 wt % H 2 O to cotectic melt compositions (e.g. CaO/Al 2 O 3 ratio at a given MgO) is similar to that caused by an increase of pressure from 100 to ~ 300 MPa. This implies that small amounts of H 2 O can lead to significant overestimation of cotectic crystallization pressures (by up to 300 MPa) and that H 2 O contents need to be taken into account in geobarometric models. Our new experiments emphasize the role of low melt H 2 O contents in stabilizing clinopyroxene and provide some new insights into the problem of the ‘pyroxene paradox’. The apparent mantle pressures obtained for some mid-ocean ridge basalts using ‘dry’ geobarometric approaches can actually represent depths within the lower crust, if small amounts of H 2 O are present. The application of our experimental data to natural Shatsky Rise basalts implies that the magmas record partial crystallization processes occurring mainly at low pressure (100 MPa), corresponding to depths of ~3 km beneath the former spreading center, although the more primitive lavas show evidence of differentiation in a deeper reservoir at ~14 km depth (400 MPa).

Description: The phase relations have been investigated experimentally at 200 and 500 MPa as a function of water activity for one of the least evolved (Indian Batt Rhyolite) and of a more evolved rhyolite composition (Cougar Point Tuff XV) from the 12·8–8·1 Ma Bruneau–Jarbidge eruptive center of the Yellowstone hotspot. Particular priority was given to accurate determination of the water content of the quenched glasses using infrared spectroscopic techniques. Comparison of the composition of natural and experimentally synthesized phases confirms that high temperatures (〉900°C) and extremely low melt water contents (〈1·5 wt % H 2 O) are required to reproduce the natural mineral assemblages. In melts containing ~0·5–1·5 wt % H 2 O, the liquidus phase is clinopyroxene (excluding Fe–Ti oxides, which are strongly dependent on fO 2 ), and the liquidus temperature of the more evolved Cougar Point Tuff sample (BJR; ~940–1000°C) is at least 30°C lower than that of the Indian Batt Rhyolite lava sample (IBR2; 970–1030°C). For the composition BJR, the comparison of the compositions of the natural and experimental glasses indicates a pre-eruptive temperature of at least 900°C. The composition of clinopyroxene and pigeonite pairs can be reproduced only for water contents below 1·5 wt % H 2 O at 900°C, or lower water contents if the temperature is higher. For the composition IBR2, a minimum temperature of 920°C is necessary to reproduce the main phases at 200 and 500 MPa. At 200 MPa, the pre-eruptive water content of the melt is constrained in the range 0·7–1·3 wt % at 950°C and 0·3–1·0 wt % at 1000°C. At 500 MPa, the pre-eruptive temperatures are slightly higher (by ~30–50°C) for the same ranges of water concentration. The experimental results are used to explore possible proxies to constrain the depth of magma storage. The crystallization sequence of tectosilicates is strongly dependent on pressure between 200 and 500 MPa. In addition, the normative Qtz–Ab–Or contents of glasses quenched from melts coexisting with quartz, sanidine and plagioclase depend on pressure and melt water content, assuming that the normative Qtz and Ab/Or content of such melts is mainly dependent on pressure and water activity, respectively. The combination of results from the phase equilibria and from the composition of glasses indicates that the depth of magma storage for the IBR2 and BJR compositions may be in the range 300–400 MPa (~≤13 km) and 200–300 MPa (~≤10 km), respectively.

Description: Isothermal decompression experiments were performed to simulate magma ascent at Unzen volcano from the depths of magma storage to shallow crustal levels, corresponding to pressure decrease from 300 to 50 MPa. A partially crystallized synthetic rhyodacitic magma (representing equilibrium conditions at 850°C and 300 MPa) was used as a starting material; this has a composition identical to the groundmass of Unzen rocks erupted in 1991–1995. Decompression rates were varied from 0·0002 to 20 MPa s –1 . Experiments conducted with decompression rates ≥0·1 MPa s –1 were decompressed continuously; a multi-step decompression approach was used at decompression rates ≤0·1 MPa s –1 . The experiments were fluid-saturated, either containing only water as a fluid component (H 2 O-bearing) or containing a water and carbon dioxide mixture (H 2 O + CO 2 ; initial mole fraction of H 2 O in the fluid ~0·6). The experimental products of the H 2 O-bearing experiments consist of amphibole, pyroxenes, oxides and glass. Plagioclase microlites nucleated and grew only in experiments with the two lowest decompression rates of 0·0005 and 0·0002 MPa s –1 . The length of those plagioclases is up to 200–250 µm, which is consistent with the size of plagioclase microlites observed in the natural samples. The experimental products of the H 2 O + CO 2 -bearing system are composed of pyroxenes, oxides, glass and plagioclase. Plagioclase microlites in the H 2 O + CO 2 -system were already present in the starting assemblage and grew to a maximum size of ~80 µm. Equilibrium concentrations of water in the residual glasses at the final pressure of 50 MPa are reached at decompression rates ≤1 MPa s –1 for the H 2 O + CO 2 -bearing system and ≤0·1 MPa s –1 for the H 2 O-bearing system. The bubble number density (BND) values range from 10 3·7 to 10 5·6 mm –3 in the H 2 O-bearing system and from 10 4·6 to 10 6·4 mm –3 in the H 2 O + CO 2 -bearing systems. In both systems, BND values decrease with decreasing decompression rate from 20 to 0·01 MPa s –1 , and increase with decreasing decompression rates 〈 0·01 MPa s –1 , which is interpreted to reflect predominant bubble growth and bubble nucleation, respectively. The onset of crystallization, observed from changes in the chemical composition of the residual melt, occurs at decompression rates 〈 0·1 MPa s –1 . At the lowest decompression rate (0·0002 MPa s –1 ) the chemical composition of the residual melt in the H 2 O + CO 2 -bearing system becomes similar to the natural matrix glass composition. There is no significant variation of the microlite number density (MND) value as a function of the decompression rate. The MND values for plagioclases-only range from 10 5·4 to 10 5·7 mm –3 , whereas the MND values for the other phases range from 10 5·3 to 10 5·9 mm –3 . Our experimental MND Pl values are in the range of those from natural samples (10 5 –10 6 mm –3 ). We show that the size of microlites nucleating and crystallizing during decompression (plagioclase in our experimental dataset) is useful to constrain magma ascent rates at the onset of the crystallization of the corresponding phase. Based on the size of plagioclase microlites and on the composition of the residual melts, the average magma ascent rates of Unzen magmas in the pressure range 200 to 50 MPa is estimated to be 10–50 m h –1 .

Description: Magmatic processes occurring in the deepest parts of sub-volcanic plumbing systems remain poorly constrained. However, crystal mush fragments incorporated into ascending magmas can provide valuable insights into the processes and conditions of transcrustal magma transport, storage and differentiation. Here we use lava samples drilled from Tamu Massif, Shatsky Rise, to understand the magmatic processes taking place in a region of thickened oceanic crust. We observe correlations between crystal textures and compositional zones in plagioclase that reveal relationships between mechanisms of magmatic differentiation and the crustal depths at which they occurred. When combined with geothermobarometric models, our observations indicate that deep crustal crystal storage took place in high crystallinity mushes at two discrete levels (∼17 and ∼27 km depth). Diffusive constraints from crystal zoning lengthscales indicate that the lifetime of crystals within the mushes exceeded several thousand years. Magmatic recharge was frequent and produced various dissolution textures in plagioclase. Contrastingly, shallow crystal storage (∼2.4 km depth) took place in a liquid-dominated domain where crystal residence times were much shorter. Crystal zoning patterns indicate that magmas transporting crystals from the deepest environment to the surface sometimes accumulated additional crystals from mid-crustal storage regions and sometimes did not, highlighting the complexity of magma assembly processes. Temperature contrasts in the lower crust at Shatsky Rise are probably low, owing to extensive magma input and a paucity of hydrothermal cooling at depth. Crystal growth morphologies are consequently relatively simple. Crystallisation in thick and thermally mature crusts may therefore lead to less complexity in crystal textures than crystallisation in thinner crusts where temperature contrasts are higher. Our observations indicate that combining thermobarometry with studies of crystal textures and crystal compositions is a powerful approach for improving our understanding of magmatic differentiation and magma ascent paths.

Description: :New experimental determinations of water solubility in haplogranitic melts (anhydrous compositions in the system Qz-Ab-Or and binary joins) and of the viscosity of hydrous Qz28Ab38Or34 melts (normative proportions) and natural peraluminous leucogranitic melt (Gangotri, High Himalaya) are used to constrain the evolution of viscosity of ascending magmas, depending on their P-T paths.At constant pressure, in the case of fluid-absent melting conditions, with water as the main volatile dissolved in the melts, the viscosity of melts generated from quartzo-feldspathic protoliths is lower at low temperature than at, high temperature (difference of 1-2 log units between 700 and 900°C). This is due to the higher water contents of the melts at low temperature than at high temperature and to the fact that decreasing temperature does not counterbalance the effect of increasing melt water content. In ascending magmas generated from crustal material the magma viscosity does not change significantly whatever the P-T path followed (i.e. path with cooling and crystallisation; adiabatic path with decompression melting) as long as the crystal fraction is low enough to assume a Newtonian behaviour (30-50% crystals, depending on size and shape). Comparison of the properties of natural and synthetic systems suggests that both water solubility and the viscosity of multicomponent natural felsic melts (with less than 30-35% normative Qz) can be extrapolated from those of the equivalent synthetic feldspar melts.