Geochemistry

1999 Edition
| Editors: Clare P. Marshall, Rhodes W. Fairbridge

Elements: Incompatible

  • W. Ian Ridley
Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4496-8_102
How to cite
In geochemistry, the term ‘incompatible’ is used with reference to the partitioning of the element between phases of a chemical system. The term is most commonly used to describe the behavior of elements in systems involving a silicate liquid and at least one solid phase, but applies equally to any chemical system involving more than one phase, e.g. immiscible, hydrothermal, seawater systems. In a silicate melt system, an incompatible element is one that is partitioned into the liquid phase (melt) relative to the solid phase(s) in equilibrium with the melt, and therefore can be described in terms of a distribution or partition coefficient. For trace elements that obey the law of dilute solutions, the temperature and pressure dependent Bertholet-Nernst partition coefficient applies, which can be formulated for element i as:
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© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998

Authors and Affiliations

  • W. Ian Ridley

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