Experimental Study of Olivine-rich Troctolites

Abstract:

This experimental study is designed to complement field observations of olivine-rich troctolites in ophiolites and from mid-ocean ridges. The olivine-rich troctolites are characterized by high volume proportion of olivine with interstitial plagioclase and clinopyroxene. Typically the clinopyroxene occurs in the form of few large, poikilitic grains. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of cooling process on the geometry of the interstitial phases (clinopyroxene and plagioclase). Experiments are conducted in a piston cylinder apparatus by first annealing olivine plus a basaltic melt with a composition designed to be in equilibrium with four phases at ~ 1 GPa and 1250ºC. Initially, we anneal the olivine-basalt aggregates at 1350 °C and 0.7 GPa for one week to produce a steady state microstructure. At this temperature only olivine and minor opx are present as crystalline phases. We then cool the samples over two weeks below their solidus temperature, following different protocols. The post-run samples are sectioned, polished, and imaged at high resolution and analyzed by using a field emission SEM. Initial observations show that under certain conditions clinopyroxene nucleates distributed throughout the aggregate at many sites, forming relatively small, rounded to near euhedral grains. Under certain conditions few cpx grains nucleate and grow with a poikilitic shape, partially or fully enclosing olivine grains, as is observed in natural samples. As for partially molten aggregates quenched form the annealing temperature, the microstructure will be characterized by tracing phase boundaries on screen by using ImageJ software. The geometry of the interstitial phases will be quantified by determining the grain boundary wetness, in this case the ratio of the length of polyphase to single phase (olivine-olivine) boundaries. Compositional data will also be used to study the change in major element compositions before and after the cooling process.