MELT STRUCTURAL CONTROL ON OLIVINE/MELT ELEMENT PARTITIONING OF CA AND MN

Abstract

Relationships between mineral/silicate melt partition coefficients and melt structure have been examined by combining Ca and Mn olivine/melt partitioning data with available melt structure information. Compositions were chosen so that melts with olivine on their liquidii range in degree of polymerization, NBO/T, from ∼0.5 to ∼2.5 under near isothermal conditions (1350–1400°C). Olivine/melt Ca-Mn exchange coefficients, Ca(olivine)/CaO(melt)/MnO(olivine)/MnO(melt) (KD Ca-Mnolivine/melt), as a function of melt NBO/T have a parabolic shape with a minimum KD Ca-Mnolivine/melt-value at NBO/T near 1. Notably, published KD Fe2+-Mgolivine/melt versus NBO/T functions are also parabolic with a maximum in KD Fe2+-Mgolivine/melt near 1 (Kushiro and Mysen, 2002).The olivine/melt partitioning data are modeled in terms of structural units (Qn-species) in the melt. The NBO/T-value corresponding to the minimum KD Ca-Mnolivine/melt is near that where the abundance ratio of Qn-species, XQ3/XQ2, has its largest value. Therefore, the activity coefficient ratio in the melt, γCa2+(melt)/γMn2+(melt), attains a minimum where the abundance ratio of XQ3/XQ2 is at maximum. It is inferred from this relationship that Ca2+ in the melts is dominantly bonded to nonbridging oxygen (Ca-NBO) in Q3-species, whereas Mn2+ is bonded to nonbridging oxygen (Mn-NBO) in less polymerized Qn-species such as Q2.