Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Geobarometry for spinel peridotites using Ca and Al in olivine

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Experiments were performed from 950 to 1250 °C and 1.5–2.4 GPa to determine the effect of pressure (P) on the temperature (T)-dependent partitioning of Al between olivine and spinel, using mixtures of natural spinel, olivine, clino- and ortho-pyroxene. When compared to 100 kPa experiments, the results show that there is no discernible effect of pressure on the Al-in-olivine thermometer at PT conditions relevant to the spinel peridotite facies. In our experiments with high-Cr spinel, we see no change in Al in olivine from starting values, likely due to the refractory nature of high-Cr spinel. Phase boundary flourescence prevented accurate quantification of Ca in olivine in the run products by electron microprobe analysis but measurements by laser ablation are consistent with the Köhler and Brey (Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54:2375–2388, 1990) Ca-in-olivine thermobarometer. The combination of Al (for T) and Ca (for P) in olivine thus has great potential for thermobarometry in spinel facies peridotites. As a test we apply this approach to published high precision Ca and Al data for olivine from the Ray Pic spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Massif Central (De Hoog et al. Chem Geol 270:196–215, 2010). Reassuringly, the calculated PT conditions (1.0–1.8 GPa; 900–1080 °C) for all samples lie beneath the Moho, within the spinel peridotite facies and fall along a geophysically constrained geotherm.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams GE, Bishop FC (1982) Experimental investigation of Ca–Mg exchange between olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene—potential for geobarometry. Earth Planet Sci Lett 57:241–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adams GE, Bishop FC (1985) An experimental investigation of the thermodynamic mixing properties and unit cell parameters of forsterite–monticellite solid solutions. Am Mineral 70:714–722

    Google Scholar 

  • Adams GE, Bishop FC (1986) The olivine–clinopyroxene geobarometer: experimental results in the CaO–FeO–MgO–SiO2 system. Contrib Mineral Petrol 94:230–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Artemieva IM (2019) Lithosphere structure in Europe from thermal isostasy. Earth Sci Rev 188:454–468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ballhaus C, Berry RF, Green DH (1991) High pressure experimental calibration of the olivine-orthopyroxene-spinel oxygen geobarometer: implications for the oxidation state of the upper mantle. Contrib Mineral Petrol 107:27–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd FR (1973) A pyroxene geotherm. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 37:2533–2546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brey GP, Köhler T (1990) Geothermobarometry in four-phase lherzolites II. New thermobarometers, and practical assessment of existing thermobarometers. J Petrol 31:1353–1378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canil D (1999) The Ni in garnet geothermometer: calibration at natural abundances. Contrib Mineral Petrol 136:240–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canil D, Virgo D, Scarfe CM (1990) Oxidation state of mantle xenoliths from British Columbia, Canada. Contrib Mineral Petrol 104:453–562

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coogan LA, Saunders AD, Wilson RN (2014) Aluminum-in-olivine thermometry of primitive basalts: evidence of anomalously hot mantle source for large igneous provinces. Chem Geol 368:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coogan LA, Hain A, Stahl S, Chakraborty S (2005) Experimental determination of the diffusion coefficient for calcium in olivine between 900 °C and 1500 °C. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 69:3683–3694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coogan LA, Jenkin GRT, Wilson RN (2007) Contrasting cooling rates in the lower oceanic crust at fast- and slow-spreading ridges revealed by geospeedometry. J Petrol. https://doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egm057

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalton JA, Lane SJ (1996) Electron microprobe analysis of Ca in olivine close to grain boundaries: the problem of secondary X-ray fluorescence. Am Mineral 81:194–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis FA, Cottrell E, Birner SK, Warren JM, Lopez OG (2017) Revisiting the electron microprobe method of spinel–olivine–orthopyroxene oxybarometry applied to spinel peridotites. Am Mineral 102:421–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Hoog JCM, Gall L, Cornell DH (2010) Trace-element geochemistry of mantle olivine and application to mantle petrogenesis and geothermobarometry. Chem Geol 270:196–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Embey Estszin A (2016) The role of melt depletion versus refertilization in the major element chemistry of four-phase spinel peridotite xenoliths. Cent Eur Geol 59:60–86. https://doi.org/10.1556/24.59.2016.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engi M (1983) Equilibria involving Al–Cr spinel: Mg–Fe exchange with olivine. Experiments, thermodynamic analysis and consequences for geothermometry. Am J Sci 283A:29–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Fabries J (1979) Spinel–olivine geothermometry in peridotites from ultramafic complexes. Contrib Mineral Petrol 69:329–336. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00372258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finnerty AA, Boyd FR (1978) Pressure-dependent solubility of calcium in forsterite coexisting with diopside and enstatite. Carnegie Inst Wash Yearb 77:713–717

    Google Scholar 

  • Finnerty AA, Boyd FR (1987) Thermobarometry for garnet peridotite xenoliths: basis for the determination of thermal and compositional structure of the upper mantle. In: Nixon PH (ed) Mantle xenoliths. Wiley, Chichester, pp 381–402

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganguly J, Bhattacharya RN, Chakraborty S (1988) Convolution effect in the determination of compositional profiles and diffusion coefficients by microprobe step scans. Am Mineral 73:901–909

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganguly J, Singh RN, Ramana DV (1995) Thermal perturbation during charnockitization and granulite facies metamorphism in southern India. J Metamorph Geol 13:419–430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geissler WH, Sodoudi F, Kind R (2010) Thickness of the central and eastern European lithosphere as seen by S receiver functions. Geophys J Int 181:604–634. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04548.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holloway JR, Pan V, Gudmundsson G (1992) High-pressure fluid absent melting experiments in the presence of graphite: oxygen fugacity, ferric/ferrous ratio and dissolved CO2. Eur J Mineral 4:105–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jianping L, Kornprobst J, Vielzeuf D, Fabriès J (1995) An improved experimental calibration of the olivine–spinel geothermometer. Chin J Geochem 14:68–77. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02840385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Köhler TP, Brey GP (1990) Calcium exchange between olivine and clinopyroxene calibrated as a geothermobarometer for natural peridotites from 2 to 60 kb with applications. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54:2375–2388

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lacuzeau F, Vasseur G (1989) Heat flow density data from France and surrounding margins. Tectonophys 164:251–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lacuzeau F, Vasseur G, Bayer R (1984) Interpretation of heat flow data in the French Massif Central. Tectonophys 103:99–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Llovet X, Galan G (2003) Correction of secondary X-ray fluorescence near grain boundaries in electron microprobe analysis: applications to thermobarometry of spinel lherzolites. Am Mineral 88:121–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Llovet X, Salvat F (2016) PENEPMA: a Monte Carlo programme for the simulation of X-ray emission in EPMA. In: IOP conference series: materials science and engineering, vol 109. IOP Publishing, p 012009

  • MacGregor ID (1974) The system MgO–Al2O3–SiO2: solubility of Al2O3 in enstatite for spinel and garnet compositions. Am Mineral 59:110–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackenzie JM, Canil D (1999) Composition and thermal evolution of cratonic mantle beneath the central Archean Slave Province, NWT, Canada. Contrib Mineral Petrol 134:313–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Medard E, McCammon CA, Barr JA, Grove TL (2008) Oxygen fugacity, temperature reproducibility and H2O contents of nominally anhydrous piston-cylinder experiments using graphite capsules. Am Mineral 93:1838–1844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nimis P, Grütter H (2010) Internally consistent geothermometers for garnet peridotites and pyroxenite. Contrib Mineral Petrol 159:411–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nimis P, Taylor WR (2000) Single-clinopyroxene thermobarometry for garnet peridotites. Part I. Calibration and testing of a Cr-in-Cpx barometer and an enstatite-in-Cpx thermometer. Contrib Mineral Petrol 139:541–554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson DG, Canil D, Shirey SB (2003) Xenoliths and diamonds in volcanic rocks. In: Holland HD, Turekian KK (eds) Treatise in geochemistry. Elsevier Publishing, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Roeder PI, Campbell IH, Jamieson HE (1979) A re-evaluation of the olivine–spinel geothermometer. Contrib Mineral Petrol 68:325–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shejwalkar A, Coogan LA (2013) Experimental calibration of the roles of temperature and composition in the Ca-in-olivine geothermometer at 0.1 MPa. Lithos 177:54–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith D (1999) Temperature and pressures of mineral equilibration in peridotite xenoliths: review, discussion and implications. In: Fei Y, Bertka CM, Mysen B (eds) Mantle petrology: field observations and high pressure experimentation a tribute to Francis R. (Joe) Boyd. Geochemical Society Spec. Publ. 6, Washington, DC, pp 171–188

  • Trela J, Gazel E, Sobolev AV, Moore L, Bizimis M, Jicha B, Batanova VG (2017) The hottest lavas of the Phanerozoic and the survival of deep Archaean reservoirs. Nat Geosci 10:451–455. https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO2954

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wan Z, Coogan LA, Canil D (2008) Experimental calibration of aluminium partitioning between olivine and spinel as a geothermometer. Am Mineral 93:1142–1147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson E, Wark D, Price J, Van Orman J (2002) Mapping the thermal structure of solid-media pressure assemblies. Contrib Mineral Petrol 142:640–652

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werling F, Altherr R (1997) Thermal evolution of the lithosphere beneath the French Massif Central as deduced from geothermobarometry on mantle xenoliths. Tectonophys 275:119–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zangana NA, Downes H, Thirlwall MF, Hegner E (1997) Relationship between deformation, equilibration temperatures, REE and radiogenic isotopes in mantle xenoliths (Ray Pic, Massif Central, France): an example of plume-lithosphere interaction? Contrib Mineral Petrol 127:187–203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ziburna L, Klemme S, Nimis P (2013) Garnet and spinel in fertile and depleted mantle: insights from thermodynamic modelling. Contrib Mineral Petrol 166:411–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to J. Spence (UVic), A. Locock (UA), and M. Raudsepp (UBC) and for analytical assistance, and to P. Nimis and G. Yaxley for their reviews of our paper. This research was supported by NSERC of Canada Discovery grants to DC and LC.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, BC, V8W 3P6, Canada

    Rameses J. D’Souza, Dante Canil & Laurence A. Coogan

Authors
  1. Rameses J. D’Souza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dante Canil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laurence A. Coogan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dante Canil.

Additional information

Communicated by Othmar Müntener.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

D’Souza, R.J., Canil, D. & Coogan, L.A. Geobarometry for spinel peridotites using Ca and Al in olivine. Contrib Mineral Petrol 175, 5 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-019-1647-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-019-1647-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation