Thermodynamic properties of almandine-grossular garnet solid solutions

Abstract

The mixing properties of Fe₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂-Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ garnet solid solutions have been studied in the temperature range 850–1100° C. The experimental method involves measuring the composition of garnet in equilibrium with an assemblage in which the activity of the Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ component is fixed. Experiments on the assemblage garnet solid solution, anorthite, Al₂SiO₅ polymorph and quartz at known pressure and temperature fix the activity of the Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ component through the equilibrium:

$$\begin{gathered} {\text{3CaAl}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{8}} \rightleftarrows {\text{Ca}}_{\text{3}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{3}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{12}}} \hfill \\ {\text{Anorthite garnet}} \hfill \\ {\text{ + 2Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{SiO}}_{\text{5}} {\text{ + SiO}}_{\text{2}} \hfill \\ {\text{ sillimanite/kyanite quartz}}{\text{.}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$

(1)

This equilibrium, with either sillimanite or kyanite as the aluminosilicate mineral, was used to control ${\text{a}}_{{\text{Ca}}_{\text{3}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{3}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{12}}} }^{{\text{gt}}}$. The compositions of the garnet solutions produced were determined by measurement of their unit cell edges.

At 1 bar Fe₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂-Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ garnets exhibit negative deviations from ideality at the Fe-rich end of the series and positive deviations at the calcium end. With increasing pressure the activity coefficients for the Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ component increase because the partial molar volume of this component is greater than the molar volume of pure grossular. Previous studies indicate that the activity coefficients for the Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ component also increase with increasing (Mg/Mg+Fe) ratio of the garnet.

The region of negative deviation from ideality implies a tendency towards formation of a stable Fe-Ca garnet component. Evidence in support of this conclusion has been found in a natural Fe-rich garnet which was found to contain two different garnet phases of distinctly different compositions.