Phenocryst

About: Phenocryst is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4132 publications have been published within this topic receiving 158441 citations.

Quaternary acid magma in New Zealand

Abstract: The voluminous Pleistocene—Recent Taupo rhyolites typically contain phenocrysts of plagioclase (oligoclase-labradorite), quartz, titanomagnetite, ilmenite, and ferromagnesian silicates. Ferromagnesian assemblages correlate with well defined Fe-Ti oxide equilibration temperature ranges and allow the rhyolites to be subdivided as follows: (1) Cummingtonite (c)—calcic hornblende (hb)—orthopyroxene (opx); 725–755°C, (2) Hb-opx, 750–825°C, (3) Biotite-hb-(c-opx), 720–765°C, (4) Opx-clinopyroxene (cpx), 860–915°C, (5) Fe olivine-opx-cpx, one sample with temperature of 900°C. Plagioclase and orthopyroxene phenocryst compositions typically exhibit a range of composition up to ∼20 mol.%. Calculated average phenocryst equilibration pressures (P total) range between 0.5–4.9 kb, and average 2.2 kb (∼7–8 km depth), indicating upper crustal crystallization. These calculations are very sensitive to variations in phenocryst composition. Calculated $$/_{{\text{H}}_2 {\text{O}}} $$ for the amphibole and biotite-bearing rhyolites indicate phenocryst equilibration under $$P_{{\text{H}}_2 {\text{O}}} \simeq P_{{\text{total}}} $$ , with $$X_{{\text{H}}_2 {\text{O}}} $$ ∼0.17–0.24 (5–8 wt. %). The precipitation of cummingtonite is thus temperature dependent, the upper limit being close to 760°C. Eruptive mechanisms of the lavas, pumices, and ash-flow deposits are evidently not primarily controlled by temperature, P total, $$P_{{\text{H}}_2 {\text{O}}} $$ , or crystal content of the magmas, and explanations must lie in kinetic and fluid dynamic behavior of the magmas. For the Taupo rhyolites, it is suggested that the critical size of a magma body (i.e. Rayleigh number) is a controlling factor in that it will influence the convective regime; fully turbulent convection is deduced to have occurred within the larger magma bodies. One consequence is intense vesiculation, prior to eruption, within the uppermost zones of these magma chambers, and the voluminous pumice deposits are believed to emanate from such chambers. Oscillatory compositional zoning within pyroxene phenocrysts is consistent with magma convection.

Petrology and chemistry of the new shergottite Dar al Gani 476

Abstract: — In 1998, Dar al Gani (DaG) 476 was found in the Libyan desert. The meteorite is classified as a basaltic shergottite and is only the 13th martian meteorite known to date. It has a porphyritic texture consisting of a fine-grained groundmass and larger olivines. The groundmass consists of pyroxene and feldspathic glass. Minor phases are oxides and sulfides as well as phosphates. The presence of olivine, orthopyroxene, and chromite is a feature that DaG 476 has in common with lithology A of Elephant Moraine (EET) A79001. However, in DaG 476, these phases appear to be early phenocrysts rather than xenocrysts. Shock features, such as twinning, mosaicism, and impact-melt pockets, are ubiquitous. Terrestrial weathering was severe and led to formation of carbonate veins following grain boundaries and cracks. With a molar MgO/(MgO + FeO) of 0.68, DaG 476 is the most magnesian member among the basaltic shergottites. Compositions of augite and pigeonite and some of the bulk element concentrations are intermediate between those of lherzolitic and basaltic shergottites. However, major elements, such as Fe and Ti, as well as LREE concentrations are considerably lower than in other shergottites. Noble gas concentrations are low and dominated by the mantle component previously found in Chassigny. A component, similar to that representing martian atmosphere, is virtually absent. The ejection age of 1.35 ± 0.10 Ma is older than that of EETA79001 and could possibly mark a distinct ejection. Dar al Gani 476 is classified as a basaltic shergottite based on its mineralogy. It has a fine-grained groundmass consisting of clinopyroxene, pigeonite and augite, feldspathic glass and chromite, Ti-chromite, ilmenite, sulfides, and whitlockite. Isolated olivine and single chromite grains occur in the groundmass. Orthopyroxene forms cores of some pigeonite grains. Shock-features, such as shock-twinning, mosaicism, cracks, and impact-melt pockets, are abundant. Severe weathering in the Sahara led to significant formation of carbonate veins crosscutting the entire meteorite. Dar al Gani 476 is distinct from other known shergottites. Chemically, it is the most magnesian member among known basaltic shergottites and intermediate in composition for most trace and major elements between Iherzolitic and basaltic shergottites. Unique are the very low bulk REE element abundances. The CI-normalized abundances of LREEs are even lower than those of Iherzolitic shergottites. The overall abundance pattern, however, is similar to that of QUE 94201. Textural evidence indicates that orthopyroxene, as well as olivine and chromite, crystallized as phenocrysts from a magma similar in composition to that of bulk DaG 476. Whether such a magma composition can be a shergottite parent melt or was formed by impact melting needs to be explored further. At this time, it cannot entirely be ruled out that these phases represent relics of disaggregated xenoliths that were incorporated and partially assimilated by a basaltic melt, although the texture does not support this possibility. Trapped noble gas concentrations are low and dominated by a Chassigny-like mantle component. Virtually no martian atmosphere was trapped in DaG 476 whole-rock splits. The exposure age of 1.26 ± 0.09 Ma is younger than that of most shergottites and closer to that of EETA79001. The ejection age of 1.35 ± 0.1 Ma could mark another distinct impact event.

Crystallization of Mount St. Helens 1980–1986 dacite: A quantitative textural approach

Abstract: Quantitative measurements of crystal size distributions (CSDs) have been used to obtain kinetic information on crystallization of industrial compounds (Randolph and Larson 1971) and more recently on Hawaiian basalts (Cashman and Marsh 1988). The technique is based on a population balance resulting in a differential equation relating the population densityn of crystals to crystal sizeL, i.e., at steady staten =no exp(−L/itGτ), whereno is nucleation density,G is the average crystal growth rate,τ is the average growth time, and the nucleation rateJ =noG. CSD (Inn vsL) plots of plagioclase phenocrysts in 12 samples of Mount St. Helens “blast” dacite and 14 samples of dacite from the 1980–1986 Mount St. Helens dome are similar and averageGτ = 9.6 (± 1.1) × 10−3 cm andno = 1−2 × 106 cm−4. Reproducibility of the measurements was tested by measuring CSDs of 12 sections cut from a single sample in three mutually perpendicular directions; precision of the size distributions is good in terms of relative, but not necessarily absolute values (± 10%). Growth and nucleation rates for plagioclase have been calculated from these measurements using time brackets ofτ = 30–150 years; growth ratesG are 3−10 × 10−12cm/s, and nucleation ratesJ are 5−21 × 10−6/cm3 s.G andJ for Fe-Ti oxides calculated from CSD data areG = 2−13 ± 10−13 cm/sec andJ = 7−33 × 10−5/cm3 s, respectively. The higher nucleation rate and lower growth rate of oxides resulted in a smaller average crystal size than for plagioclase. Sizes of plagioclase microlites (<0.01 mm) in the blast dacite groundmass have been measured from backscatter SEM photographs. Nucleation of these microlites was probably triggered by intrusion of material into the cone of Mount St. Helens in spring 1980. This residence time of 52 days gives minimum crystallization estimates ofG = 1−3 × 10−11 cm/s andJ = 9−16 × 1O3/cm3 s. The skeletal form of the microlites provides evidence for nucleation and growth at high values of undercooling (ΔT) relative to the phenocrysts. A comparison of nucleation and growth rates for the two crystal populations (phenocrysts vs microlites) suggests that while growth rate seems to be only slightly affected by changes inΔT, nucleation rate is a very strong function of undercooling. A comparison of plagioclase nucleation and growth rates measured in the Mount St. Helens dacite and in basalt from Makaopuhi lava lake in Hawaii suggests that plagioclase nucleation rates are not as dependent on composition. Groundmass textures suggest that plagioclase microphenocrysts crystallized at depth rather than in the conduit, in the dome, or after extrusion onto the surface. Most of this crystallization appears to be in the form of crystal growth (coarsening) of groundmass microphenocrysts at small degrees of undercooling rather than extensive nucleation of new crystals. This continuous crystallization in a shallow magmatic reservoir may provide the “overpressurization” needed to drive the continuing periodic domebuilding extrusions, which have been the pattern of activity at Mount St. Helens since December 1980.