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Garnet–orthopyroxene (GOPX) geothermometer: a comparative study

Arabian Journal of Geosciences volume 11, Article number: 771 (2018) Cite this article

Abstract

The garnet–orthopyroxene pairs are commonly found in the assemblages of basic granulites/charnockite and hence are suitable for estimating equilibrium temperature of these metamorphic rocks. At present, there are many calibrations of garnet–orthopyroxene thermometer that may confuse geologists in choosing a reliable thermometer. To test the accuracy of the garnet–orthopyroxene thermometers, we have applied 14 models formulated by a number of workers since 1980 to date. We have collated 51 samples from the literature all over the world, which has been processed through the “Gt-Opx.EXE” software. Based on the present study, we have identified a set of the best among all the 14 models which were considered under this comparative study. We have concluded that the five garnet–orthopyroxene (Gt-Opx) thermometers are the most valid and reliable of this kind of thermometer: Aranovich and Berman (Am Mineral 82:345–353, 1997), Raith et al. (Earth Sci 73:211–244, 1983), Harley (Contrib Mineral Petrol 86:359–373, 1984), Nimis and Grütter (Contrib Mineral Petrol 159:411–427, 2010), and Sen and Bhattacharya (Contrib Mineral Petrol 88:64–71, 1984).

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Head, Department of Applied Geology, Doctor Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar (M.P.) and the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India, for providing facilities as including PURSE-Phase-II for conducting present research work. The authors express sincere thanks to the reviewer, Prof. Chun Ming Wu, Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, The Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, for his critical and constructive reviews which significantly improved the focus and clarity of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Applied Geology, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, MP, India

    Harel Thomas, Haritabh Rana & Mohammad Shahid

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  1. Harel Thomas
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  2. Haritabh Rana
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  3. Mohammad Shahid
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Correspondence to Harel Thomas.

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Thomas, H., Rana, H. & Shahid, M. Garnet–orthopyroxene (GOPX) geothermometer: a comparative study. Arab J Geosci 11, 771 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-4060-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-4060-y

Keywords

  • Garnet
  • Orthopyroxene
  • Exchange reaction
  • Granulite
  • Comparative study