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Phase relations and formation of sodium-rich majoritic garnet in the system Mg3Al2Si3O12–Na2MgSi5O12 at 7.0 and 8.5 GPa

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Abstract

The pseudo-binary system Mg3Al2Si3O12–Na2MgSi5O12 modelling the sodium-bearing garnet solid solutions has been studied at 7 and 8.5 GPa and 1,500–1,950°C. The Na-bearing garnet is a liquidus phase of the system up to 60 mol% Na2MgSi5O12 (NaGrt). At higher content of NaGrt in the system, enstatite (up to ∼80 mol%) and then coesite are observed as liquidus phases. Our experiments provided evidence for a stable sodium incorporation in garnet (0.3–0.6 wt% Na2O) and its control by temperature and pressure. The highest sodium contents were obtained in experiments at P = 8.5 GPa. Near the liquidus (T = 1,840°C), the equilibrium concentration of Na2O in garnet is 0.7–0.8 wt% (∼6 mol% Na2MgSi5O12). With the temperature decrease, Na concentration in Grt increases, and the maximal Na2MgSi5O12 content of ∼12 mol% (1.52 wt% Na2O) is gained at the solidus of the system (T = 1,760°С). The data obtained show that most of natural diamonds, with inclusions of Na-bearing garnets usually containing <0.4 wt% Na2O, could be formed from sodium-rich melts at pressures lower than 7 GPa. Majoritic garnets with higher sodium concentrations (>1 wt% Na2O) may crystallize at a pressure range of 7.0–8.5 GPa. However the upper pressure limit for the formation of naturally occurring Na-bearing garnets is restricted by the eclogite/garnetite bulk composition.

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Abbreviations

Cs:

coesite

En:

enstatite (Mg2Si2O6)

Grt:

garnet

Jd:

jadeite (NaAlSi2O6)

L:

melt and products of melt quenching

Maj:

majorite (Mg4Si4O12)

NaPx:

sodium pyroxene (NaMg0.5Si2.5O6)

NaGrt:

sodium garnet (Na2MgSi5O12)

Prp:

pyrope (Mg3Al2Si3O12)

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Oleg G. Safonov for his constructive criticism and valuable advice and two anonymous referees for very useful corrections and advices. The authors are very grateful to Lyudmila P. Red’kina for preparation of starting materials and mixtures. We thank Alexei N. Nekrasov and Konstantin V. Van for providing facilities for electron microprobe analyses. The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (projects 08-05-00595 to A.V. Bobrov and 08-05-00110 to Yu.A. Litvin), the RAS Project P9 for Study of Materials under Extreme Conditions, and the Foundation of the President of Russian Federation for the Support of Leading Scientific Schools (projects nos. NSh-5367.2008.5 to A.A. Marakushev and NSh-1949.2008.5 to L.L. Perchuk).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Petrology, Geological Faculty, Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    A. V. Bobrov & A. M. Dymshits

  2. Institute of Experimental Mineralogy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow District, 142432, Russia

    Yu. A. Litvin

  3. Museo di Storia Naturale, Sezione di Mineralogia, University of Firenze, Via La Pira 4, 50121, Firenze, Italy

    L. Bindi

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  1. A. V. Bobrov
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Correspondence to A. V. Bobrov.

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Communicated by T.L. Grove.

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Bobrov, A.V., Litvin, Y.A., Bindi, L. et al. Phase relations and formation of sodium-rich majoritic garnet in the system Mg3Al2Si3O12–Na2MgSi5O12 at 7.0 and 8.5 GPa. Contrib Mineral Petrol 156, 243–257 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-008-0283-3

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