THERMODYNAMICS OF (FE2+, MN2+, MG, CA)3- AL2SI3O12 GARNET: A REVIEW AND ANALYSIS

Abstract

The thermodynamic properties of garnets in the system (Fe^2+, Mn^2+, Mg, Ca)3A12Si3O12 are reviewed. The thermodynamic properties of the three end-member garnets pyrope, almandine and grossular, including their volume, enthalpy of formation, entropy, compressibility and thermal expansion have been well determined. For spessartine enthalpy of formation and heat capacity at low temperatures are needed. Pyrope's unusual behavior in some of its properties is probably related to the presence of the small, light Mg cation, which has a large anisotropic thermal vibration. The thermodynamic mixing properties of the six binaries are also discussed. Good volume of mixing data exist now for all of the binaries, but much work is still required to determine the enthalpies and third-law vibrational entropies of mixing. It is shown that the magnitude of the positive deviations in the volumes of mixing is related to the volume difference between the two end-member components. It is probable that excess entropies, if present, originate at low temperatures below 200 K. Recent29Si NMR experiments have demonstrated the presence of short-range ordering (SRO) of Ca and Mg in pyrope-grossular solid solutions. Short-range order will have to be considered in new models describing the entropies of mixing. Its possible presence in all garnet solid solutions needs to be examined. The mixing properties of pyrope-grossular garnets, which are the best known for any garnet binary, can, in part, be described by the Quasi-Chemical approximation, which gives insight into the microscopic interactions which determine the macroscopic thermodynamic mixing properties. Microscopic properties are best investigated by spectroscopic and computational approaches. Hard mode IR measurements on binary solid solutions show that the range of local microscopic structural distortion is reflected in the macroscopic volumes of mixing. The nature of The contents of this contribution was presented at the IMA Meeting in Toronto in August, 1998. It precedes issues of Mineralogy and Petrology containing thematic sets of IMApapers strain tiields and site relaxation needs to be studied in order to obtain a better understanding of the solid-solution process and energetics in garnet. Critical areas for future experimentation are also addressed.