APPLICATION OF ENERGY CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS IN THE STUDY OF ALLOCHEMICAL METAMORPHISM

Abstract

Until recently, the concept of atomization energy was mainly applied to the explanation of physical properties of minerals. The introduction of the term specific atomization energy offered wide possibilities for determining the relations between the energy characteristics of rock-forming minerals and the specifics of mineral-forming processes. This also made it possible to explain the structural regularities of hypergene minerals, substantiate the succession of mineral assemblages in the course of some ore-forming processes, and decipher the energy sense of the so-called "Bowen plug" However, the energy state of rock-forming minerals in such a significant geological process as metamorphism has practically not yet been studied. This paper presents an analysis of metamorphic reactions in silicate rocks using such energy characteristics as specific mass atomization energy of mineral or assemblage (Em, kJ/g) and its cation-oxygen constituents (em). The aim of the analysis is to reveal the regularities of the dynamics of the energy state of minerals in evolving silicate systems and establish the energy direction of metamorphic processes and behavior of major elements depending on these factors.