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Experimental igneous petrology
Author(s) -
Boettcher A. L.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg013i003p00075
Subject(s) - anatexis , igneous rock , geology , ultramafic rock , amphibole , mantle (geology) , petrogenesis , geochemistry , silicate , lithosphere , subduction , continental crust , partial melting , crust , petrology , geophysics , tectonics , chemistry , paleontology , quartz , organic chemistry
Experimental igneous petrology in the period 1971–1975 produced many exciting results that aided significantly our understanding of conceptual mechanisms involved in global‐scale tectonics. The investigation of melting and other phase relationships of rocks and synthetic systems ranging from intermediate to ultrabasic in composition, particularly in the presence of H 2 O and H 2 O‐CO 2 vapors, has established limits to conditions under which anatexis and phase transformations can occur, particularly at plate boundaries. Much of the H 2 O in the upper mantle and lower crust is bound in hydrous minerals such as amphiboles and micas; establishment of the conditions under which these phases are stable in the laboratory has provided the basis of several models for the genesis of orogenic zone calc‐alkaline rocks and for melting and other transformations of subducted lithosphere. Because of the significance of H 2 O, CO 2 , and other volatile components in upper mantle processes, considerable effort was devoted to the study of solubilities of these species in silicate melts at high pressures, and some thermodynamic data derived from measurements at high pressures and temperatures enabled the calculation of phase relations previously unobtainable. Many new experimental techniques were developed to extend the capabilities of reproducing natural conditions in the laboratory. Nevertheless, many more refinements and new developments must be made; for example, new alloys for encapsulation of Fe‐bearing samples must be sought.