EFFECT OF RELAXATION EXCHANGE PROCESSES ON PARTITIONING OF COMPONENTS BETWEEN PHASES AND CORRECTION FOR THEM IN MINERAL THERMOBAROMETRY

Abstract

Petrologic experience indicates that one of the main problems in interpretation of data of mineral thermometry is finding of that temperature from the range of temperatures at which particular reactions can occur between phases of the given paragenesis which best fits the data. If n reactions take place in the system under some specific conditions, then there should exist n partition coefficients, which should all lead to the same temperature. In reality the scatter of the indications of different geothermometers from the same mineral association may be several tens or hundreds of degrees. This scatter is mainly attributed to changes in the compositions of coexisting phases in the regressive stage of rock evolution. The authors present their results and discuss the effect of relaxation exchange processes on partitioning of components between phases and according correction in mineral thermobarometry.