Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An olivine-clinopyroxene geothermometer

  • Published:
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The iron-magnesium exchange reaction between olivine and calcium-rich clinopyroxene is formulated as a geothermometer. It is shown that the clinopyroxene M1 site must be nonideal and it is expressed as a regular solution. The appropriate mixing parameters are calculated from a set of groundmass olivine-clinopyroxene pairs from lavas for which there are groundmass iron-titanium oxide temperatures. The pressure dependence of the geothermometer is calculated from abailable experimental work, and is approximately 5°C per kilobar. Layered gabbros from the Kap Edvard Holm Complex, East Greenland, show no significant variation of temperature with structural height in the intrusion, while those of Skaergaard give temperatures which do not have a consistent variation with height. Continued equilibration during post-crystallisation cooling is a possibility in slowly cooled intrusions. Inclusions in diamond give a pressure-temperature line consistent with formation at 1300°C at 55 kb, 1400°C 72 kb and 1500°C 90 kb. Ultrabasic xenoliths in Basutoland kimberlites have similar pressure-temperature lines. Lavas, including alkali basalts, basanites, andesites and rhyolites give temperatures from 1025°C to 890° C.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bacon, C. R., Carmichael, I. S. E.: Stages in theP-T path of ascending basalt magma: an example from San Quintin, Baja California, Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.41, 1–22 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, F. H., Carmichael, I. S. E.: Quaternary volcanoes of the Lake Rudolf Region: The basanite-tephrite series of the Korath Range. Lithos2, 329–260 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, F. H., Carmichael, I. S. E.: Quaternary volcanoes of the Lake Rudolf Region: The lavas of North Island, South Island and the Barrier. Lithos4, 305–323 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G. M.: Pyroxenes from the early and middle stages of fractionation of the kaergaard intrusion, East Greenland. Mineral. Mag.31, 511–543 (1957)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G. M., Vincent, E. A.: Pyroxenes from the late stages of fractionation of Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland. J. Petrol.4, 175–197 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Buddington, A. F., Lindsley, D. H.: Irontitanium oxide minerals and synthetic equilivents. J. Petrol.5, 310–357 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bultitude, R. J., Green, D. H.: Experimental study of crystalliquid relations at high pressures in olivine nephelinite and basanite compositions. J. Petrol.12, 121–147 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Carmichael, I. S. E.: The pyroxenes and olivines from some Tertiary acid glasses. J. Petrol.1, 309–336(1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Carmichael, I. S. E.: The mineralogy of Thingmuli, a Tertiary volcano in Eastern Iceland. Am. Mineralogist52, 1815–1841 (1967a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Carmichael, I. S. E.: The irontitanium oxides of salic volcanic rocks and their associated ferromagnesium silicates. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.14, 36–64 (1967b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Carmichael, I. S. E.: The mineralogy and Petrology of the volcanic rocks from the Leucite Hills, Wyoming. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.15, 24–66 (1967c)

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, J. R., Appleman, D. E., Papike, J. J.: Crystal-chemical characterisation of clinopyroxenes based on eight new structure refinements. Min. Soc. Am. Spec. Papers2, 31–50 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, J. B., Powell, D. G., Reid, A. M.: Ultrabasic xenoliths from the Lashaine volcano, Northern Tanzania. J. Petrol.11, 519–548 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Deer, W. A., Abbott, D.: Clinopyroxenes of the gabbro cumulates of the Kap Edvard Holm complex, East Greenland, Mineral. Mag.34, 177–193 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Denbigh, K.: The principles of chemical equilibrium. Cambridge: University Press 1968

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, B. W., Moore, J. G.: Mineralogy as a function of depth in the Prehistoric Makaopuhi tholeiitic lava lake, Hawaii, Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.17, 85–115 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fyfe, W. S., Turner, P. J., Verhoogen, J.: Metamorphic reactions and metamorphic facies. Geol. Soc. Am. Mem.73, (1958)

  • Green, D. H.: Experimental studies on a model upper mantle composition at high pressure under water saturated and water undersaturated conditions. Earth and Planet. Sci. Letters19, 37–53 (1973a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, D. H.: Conditions of melting of basanite magma from garnet peridotite. Earth and Planet. Sci. Letters17, 456–465 (1973b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Helz, R. T.: Phase relations of basalts in their melting range at pH2O=5 kb as a function of oxygen fugacity. J. Petrol.14, 249–302 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kroger, F. A., Stieltjes, F. H., Vink, H. J.: Thermodynamics and formulation of reactions involving imperfechens in solids. Philips Res. Repts14, 557–601 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuno, H., Aoki, K.: Chemistry of ultrabasic nodules and their bearing on the origin of basaltic magmas. Phys. Earth Planet. Int.3, 273–301 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurshakova, L. D.: Stability field of hedenbergite on the log PO2T diagram. Geochem. Internat. 340–349 (1971)

  • Kushiro, I., Shimizu, N., Nakamura, Y.: Compositions of coexisting liquid and solid phases formed upon melting of natural garnet and spinel lherzolites at high pressures: a preliminary report. Earth and Planet, Sci. Letters14, 19–25 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindh, A.: Relations between irontitanium oxide minerals and silicate minerals in a dolerite intrusion. Neues Jahrb. Mineral. Abhandl.120, 31–50 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindsley, D. H., Brown, G. M., Muir, I. D.: Conditions of the ferrowollastonite-ferrohedenbergite inversion in the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland. Min. Soc. Am. Spec. Papers2, (1969)

  • Meyer, H. O. A., Boyd, F. R.: Composition and origin of crystalline inclusions in natural diamonds. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta36, 1255–1273 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, J. G., Evans, B. W.: The role of olivine in the crystallisation of the Prehistoric tholeiitic Makaopuhi lava lake, Hawaii. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.15, 202–223 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nafziger, R. H.: High-temperature activity-composition relations of equilibrium spinels, olivines and pyroxenes in the system Mg-Fe-O-SiO2. Am. Mineralogist58, 457–465 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nash, W. P., Carmichael, I. S. E., Johnson, R. W.: The mineralogy and petrology of Mount Suswa, Kenya. J. Petrol.10, 409–439 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nesbitt, W., Helgeson, H. C.: (In preparation)

  • Nicholls, J., Carmichael, I. S. E.: Peralkaline acid liquids: a petrological study. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.20, 268–294 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls, J., Carmichael, I. S. E., Stormer, J. C.: Silica activity and PTotal in igneous rocks. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.33, 1–20 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, P. H., von Knorring, O., Rooke, J. M.: Kimberlites and associated inclusions of Basutoland: A mineralogical and geochemical study. Am. Mineralogist48, 1090–1132 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringwood, A. E., Lovering, J. F.: Significance of pyroxene-ilmenite intergrowths among kimberlite xenoliths. Earth and Planet. Sci. Letters7, 370–375 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Robie, R. A., Waldbaum, D. R.: Thermodynamic properties of minerals and related substances at 298.15°K (25.0°C) and one atmosphere (1.013 bars) pressure and at higher temperatures. U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull.1259, 256p. (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxena, S. K.: Thermodynamics of rock-forming crystalline solutions. Berlin-Heidelberg New York: 1973

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxena, S. K., Ghose, S., Turnock, A. C.: Cation distribution in low calcium pyroxenes. Dependence on temperature and calcium content and the thermal history of lunar and terrestrial pigeonites. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters21, 194–200 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. L., Carmichael, I. S. E.: Quaternary lavas from the Southern Cascades Western U.S.A. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.19, 212–238 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. L., Carmichael, I. S. E.: Quaternary trachybasalts from southern California. Am. Mineralogist54, 909–923 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobolev, N. V., Bartoshinskiy, E. S., Yefimova, E. S., Lavrent'yev, Yu. G., Pospelova, L. N.: Olivine-garnet-chrome diopside assemblage from Yakutian diamond. Doklady Akad. Nauk. SSSR192, 134–137 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Verhoogen, J.: Distribution of titanium between silicates and oxides in igneous rocks. Am. J. Sci.260, 211–220 (1962)

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. J.: Activity-composition relations in the fayalite-forsterite solid solution between 900° and 1300°C at low pressures. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters15, 296–310 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wohl, K.: Thermodynamic evaluation of binary and ternary liquid systems. Trans. Am. Inst. Chem. Engrs42, 215–249 (1946)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Marjorie Powell & Roger Powell

    Present address: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Durham, South Road, DH1 3LE, Durham, England

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, California

    Marjorie Powell & Roger Powell

Authors
  1. Marjorie Powell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Roger Powell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Powell, M., Powell, R. An olivine-clinopyroxene geothermometer. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 48, 249–263 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00951333

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00951333

Keywords

Search

Navigation