WATER IN NATURAL MANTLE MINERALS I: PYROXENES

Abstract

A large number of studies of water in pyroxenes have confirmed that essentially all pyroxenes of terrestrial origin as a rule contain substantial amounts of OH, varying as a function of chemical composition and geological occurrence. The highest OH-concentrations are observed in mantle-derived samples, and it is now well established that both clino- and orthopyroxene can be considered as major host minerals for water in the mantle.