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Diffusion-controlled spherulite growth in obsidian inferred from H2O concentration profiles

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An Erratum to this article was published on 11 September 2008

Abstract

Spherulites are spherical clusters of radiating crystals that occur naturally in rhyolitic obsidian. The growth of spherulites requires diffusion and uptake of crystal forming components from the host rhyolite melt or glass, and rejection of non-crystal forming components from the crystallizing region. Water concentration profiles measured by synchrotron-source Fourier transform spectroscopy reveal that water is expelled into the surrounding matrix during spherulite growth, and that it diffuses outward ahead of the advancing crystalline front. We compare these profiles to models of water diffusion in rhyolite to estimate timescales for spherulite growth. Using a diffusion-controlled growth law, we find that spherulites can grow on the order of days to months at temperatures above the glass transition. The diffusion-controlled growth law also accounts for spherulite size distribution, spherulite growth below the glass transition, and why spherulitic glasses are not completely devitrified.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ian Carmichael for providing samples and suggesting that spherulites were interesting and important. We also thank the Advanced Light Source and Kent Ross for providing outstanding technical support for FTIR and microprobe measurements, respectively. This work was supported by NSF grant EAR-0608885.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Jim Watkins, Michael Manga & Christian Huber

  2. Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Michael Martin

Authors
  1. Jim Watkins
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  2. Michael Manga
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  3. Christian Huber
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  4. Michael Martin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jim Watkins.

Additional information

Communicated by J. Blundy.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00410-008-0340-y

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Watkins, J., Manga, M., Huber, C. et al. Diffusion-controlled spherulite growth in obsidian inferred from H2O concentration profiles. Contrib Mineral Petrol 157, 163–172 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-008-0327-8

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