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Quantitative textural analysis of packings of elongate crystals

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Abstract

The spatial distribution of grains in a solidifying igneous rock controls the physical properties of the crystal mush, and in turn is controlled by the rate of crystal growth and accumulation. A predominant non-spherical habit for igneous minerals brings into question the use of spherical particles in reference packings used for quantification of spatial distribution. Furthermore, variations of crystal clustering/ordering with length scale require spatial statistics which take into account the distribution of particles beyond nearest neighbours. Using random close packings of spherocylinders, we demonstrate the importance of aspect ratio for the aggregation index (usually known as R) and show that packings of spherical particles have more structure than packings of rods. The spatial distribution functions demonstrate that the plagioclase grains in the colonnade from the Holyoke basalt are clustered on a length scale of 0.5 mm. Understanding the controls on grain spatial distribution in igneous rocks will depend on the application of these techniques to well-understood environments.

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Acknowledgments

We are extremely grateful to Dougal Jerram, whose work was the inspiration for this study, for all his help: providing us with the co-ordinates of the Finney sphere packing, the co-ordinates of the RSDL, and the tracing of the Holyoke colonnade. We are also extremely grateful to Alan Wouterse and Albert Philipse for providing us with the co-ordinates of their spherocylinder packings. We thank Madeleine Humphreys and Rachel Sides for helpful discussions, and Dougal Jerram and Mike Cheadle for their constructive reviews. John Rudge was supported by a Junior Research Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge. Graham Smith was supported by a NERC studentship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bullard Laboratories, Department of Earth Sciences, Madingley Rise, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0EZ, UK

    John F. Rudge

  2. Institute of Theoretical Geophysics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK

    John F. Rudge

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK

    Marian B. Holness & Graham C. Smith

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  1. John F. Rudge
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Correspondence to John F. Rudge.

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Communicated by J. Blundy.

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Rudge, J.F., Holness, M.B. & Smith, G.C. Quantitative textural analysis of packings of elongate crystals. Contrib Mineral Petrol 156, 413–429 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-008-0293-1

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