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Manganese thermometer for mantle peridotites

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Abstract

The temperature dependence of the Mn-Mg distribution between garnet and clinopyroxene, originally proposed by Carswell, was confirmed by Shimizu and Allègre (1978) using ion microprobe and electron microprobe data. High precision electron microprobe analyses of a larger set of 52 Iherzolites from S. Africa and Malaita, Solomon Islands show considerable scatter in the temperature dependence of this distribution, and correlation with the CaO content of the garnet is indicated. A new distribution coefficient is based on the reaction:

$$\begin{gathered} \operatorname{Mn} _{\text{2}} \operatorname{Si} _2 \operatorname{O} _6 {\text{ + }}\operatorname{CaAl} _{2/3} \operatorname{SiO} _4 {\text{ + }}\operatorname{MgAl} _{2/3} \operatorname{SiO} _4 \hfill \\ {\text{Mn - pyroxene grossular pyrope}} \hfill \\ {\text{ }} \rightleftharpoons \operatorname{CaMgSi} _2 \operatorname{O} _6 {\text{ + }}2\operatorname{MnAl} _{2/3} \operatorname{SiO} _4 \hfill \\ {\text{ diopside spessartine}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$

It was calibrated against temperature determined from two independent thermometers (Wells pyroxene and O'Neill-Wood garnet-olivine) for Iherzolitic assemblages, and shown to to be sensitive to within + 50 °C for most specimens in the range 900 °– 1,300 ° C. This distribution coefficient appears independent of pressure within the uncertainty of the available data, and has the potential to be a third independent thermometer for use in garnet Iherzolites and possibly eclogites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mineral Sciences, American Museum of Natural History, 10024, New York, New York, USA

    J. S. Delaney

  2. Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    J. V. Smith

  3. Department of Geology, University of Sheffield, S13JD, Sheffield, England

    J. B. Dawson

  4. Department of Geology, University of Papua New Guinea, Box 4820 University P.O., Papua New Guinea

    P. H. Nixon

Authors
  1. J. S. Delaney
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  2. J. V. Smith
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  3. J. B. Dawson
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  4. P. H. Nixon
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Delaney, J.S., Smith, J.V., Dawson, J.B. et al. Manganese thermometer for mantle peridotites. Contrib. Mineral and Petrol. 71, 157–169 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00375432

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