Zoning in Igneous Plagioclase: Patchy Zoning

Zoning in Igneous Plagioclase: Patchy Zoning
Author(s): Joseph A. Vance

Source: The Journal of Geology, Vol. 73, No. 4 (Jul., 1965), pp. 636-651
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
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ZONING IN IGNEOUS PLAGIOCLASE: PATCHY ZONING'

JOSEPH A. VANCE
University of Washington
ABSTRACT
Many igneous plagioclases exhibit irregular zoning consisting of corroded cores embayed and surrounded
in crystallographic continuity by more sodic plagioclase. Inclusions of this sodic plagioclase within the corroded cores give the feldspar a mottled appearance and suggest the term patchy zoning for these textures.
Textural evidence indicates that patchy zoning is the result of a two-stage replacement process involving
partial resorption of early plagioclase crystals followed by crystallization of a more sodic plagioclase.
Poikilitic inclusions commonly present within the patches of sodic plagioclase are believed to have crystallized from the melt trapped in the cores after corrosion.
Patchy zoning is interpreted here in terms of decrease in confining pressure on water-deficient magma
during its rise in the crust. The sequence of development is visualized as follows: (1) crystallization of
plagioclase at depth; (2) partial resorption of the plagioclase related to fall in pressure; (3) renewed crystallization at lower pressure, necessitating development of a more sodic plagioclase.
Zoning of this type is believed to be a diagnostic igneous textural feature indicating that the magma
contained a crystalline phase and was neither superheated nor saturated in its volatile components when
upward displacement initiated resorption.
I. INTRODUCTION
Plagioclase zoning comprises a unique

record of past changes in magmatic environment which can provide critical evidence on
several fundamental problems of magmatic
evolution. This paper is concerned with the
significance of patchy zoning, a feature
which, though widespread in igneous plagioclases, has been ignored by many petrologists. The first part of the paper is largely
descriptive and deals with evidence that these
textures are related to magmatic resorption.
The remainder of the paper is concerned
with the mechanics of the resorption process,
the possible causes of the resorption, and the
broader petrogenetic implications of these
textures. The effect of decrease in pressure
on plagioclase-melt equilibria and the general problem of magmatic resorption and
corrosion are considered in some detail.
II. DESCRIPTION
The plagioclase of many igneous rocks
shows complex zoning consisting of corroded
cores filled and surrounded in crystallographic continuity by plagioclase of more
1 Manuscript received July 20, 1964; revised
January 12, 1965.
sodic composition (figs. 1-18). Isolated, irregular inclusions of plagioclase in optical

continuity with the rim impart a characteristic mottled appearance to the crystals
between corssed nicols. In the following
discussion these features are referred to by
the term patchy zoning. The sodic material
of the rims and of the patchy inclusions is
designated respectively as the rim plagioclase and the included plagioclase. Weakly
corroded material shows sparse development of isolated small inclusions and only
slight embayment of the core, while in more
highly corroded plagioclases, characterized
by extensive enlargement and coalescence of
the inclusions, the core survives only as an
irregular, sievelike framework. The outermost portions of the core tend to be less corroded than the interior and only in intensely
corroded material is the boundary between
core and rim markedly anhedral (figs. 13
and 16).
Typically the included plagioclase is
either homogeneous or has weak normal zoning, but exceptionally it shows delicate
oscillatory zoning. The writer's observations
suggest that the development of patchy
zoning, in particular the zonal compositional
variation and to a lesser extent the intensity
636

PATCHY ZONING
of corrosion, is commonly rather uniform in
the plagioclase of a given magmatic body.
The plagioclase in some igneous bodies
characteristically shows two or more distinct
stages of corrosion and patchy zoning (see
figs. 7, 8, and 13).
In sections cut parallel to (010) the included plagioclase typically forms irregular
637
to subhedral patches elongate parallel to the

a-crystallographic axis. In sections normal
to a the inclusions tend to be subhedral,
showing quasi-rectangular forms, bounded
by (001) and (010) and most commonly
elongate parallel to (010). In three dimensions, the inclusions form irregular plates
parallel to (010) and elongate parallel to a.
In some rocks a part of the included plagioclase occupies narrow, irregular fractures in
the core (fig. 10).
Patchy zoning is exceedingly widespread
in magmatic plagioclase, especially in the
common plagioclase-rich volcanic and plutonic rocks of calc-alkaline affinity. Numerous references to this general group of textures may be found in the literature, mostly
as brief notes in general petrographic descriptions. Among the many workers who
have specifically discussed this texture in
FIG. 1.-Quartz diorite, Black Peak batholith,

near Rainy Pass, Washington. X22. Sec. II(010).
Incipient patchy zoning, patches elongate || (001).
An40o
- An34IAnas-+ An23.(Parallel notation is used
for all the sketches. An4o-- An34shows the range of
zoning of the core. An28-* An23is the compositional
range of the rim plagioclase. The difference between
An34 and An28 corresponds approximately to the
compositional gap between core and rim [rim and
included plagioclase, stippled; core, withoutstippling;
plagioclase with two stages of corrosion: intermediate zone, heavily stippled; rim, lightly stippled;
poikilitic inclusions, black].)
FIG. 3.-Quartz diorite, Squire Creek pluton,
near Darrington, Washington. X 14. Ana4-- An331
An24-- An1s. Sec. || (010). Moderate corrosion,
patches elongate || (001).
FIG. 2.-Granodiorite,
Chilliwack complex,
Washington. X21. An49- An34IAni8- Anl2. Sec. 1
(010). Carlsbad synneusis twins. Incipient patchy
zoning, patches elongate 11(001).
FIG. 4.-Granodiorite,
Cathedral batholith,
Okanogan County, Washington. X 10. An27
An24 An17- An3. Sec. 1 (010). Two grains in parallel synneusis relationship. Moderate corrosion,
patches elongate || (001).

638
JOSEPH A. VANCE
plutonic rocks are Becke (1892), Holmquist

(1906, p. 157), Gillson (1932, p. 33), Larsen
(1948), Callegari (1958, 1963), Yeats (1958,
p. 205), Karl (1959, p. 172), Snelling (1960,
p. 194), and Vance (1962). References to
similar textures in hypabyssal and volcanic
rocks include those of Graeff and Brauns
(1893, p. 129), Homma (1936, p. 138), Kuno
(1936, p. 126), Larsen, Irving, Gonyer, and
Larsen, (1938, p. 229), Fuster (1954), Fuster
and Ibarrola (1956), Ogniben (1956, 1964),
and Scharbert (1957, p. 155).
In most rocks showing well-developed
patchy zoning some of the plagioclase crystals contain tiny poikilitic inclusions of
other minerals (figs. 6, 11-18). These inclusions are generally rounded or irregular
FIG. 5.-Granodiorite, Grotto batholith, near

Monte Cristo, Washington. X12. An57-An461
An38-- An31si.
Sec. 11(010). Carlsbad synneusis twins.
Moderately strong corrosion, inclusions elongate I
(001).
FIG. 6.-Granodiorite, Caulfeild pluton, near

Vancouver, British Columbia. X>18. An34- An27
An20-+ An14. Sec. jj (010). Moderate corrosion.
Poikilitic inclusions of quartz.
in shape and are restricted to the interior of

the corroded cores where they are in contact
with, and commonly are surrounded by, the
sodic included plagioclase. Some vitrophyres
show analogous textures in which small,
inclusions of
irregular-to-subrectangular
glass occur within the patchy filling of the
corroded plagioclase cores (figs. 15-16).
These various types of inclusions are referred to here as poikilitic inclusions.
III.
ORIGIN OF PATCHY ZONING
A. MECHANISM OF REPLACEMENT
The literature reveals little agreement as

to the origin of patchy zoning, except on two
broad points. First, it is generally believed
that the rocks showing these textures are of
magmatic origin. This conclusion appears
FIG. 7.--Granodiorite, Dead Duck pluton, White

Chuck River, Washington. X23. An77 * An74
Ans4-- An5 IAn23- An18. Sec. _La. Several broad
albite lamellae. Complex corrosion with two generations of patchy zoning. Patches elongate 11(010).
FIG. 8.--From same specimen as fig. 7. X32.

Sec. || (010). Complex corrosion with two generations
of patchy zoning.

PATCHY ZONING
639
justified, since patchy zoning in plutonic plagioclase is magmatic, it seems unreasonrocks does not appear to differ essentially able to suppose that the compositionally
from similar textures in volcanic rocks of identical included plagioclase is of a different
unquestioned igneous origin. Second, it is origin.
In many plagioclases, moreover, there is
agreed that the sodic plagioclase inclusions
have replaced the more calcic feldspar of clear evidence of the former presence of corthe corroded core. There is, however, no rosional cavities, ruling out formation of
consensus as to the mechanism of the re- patchy zoning by any mechanism of replacement in the solid state. First, the inplacement process.
Patchy zoning might develop through
any of three fundamentally different replacement mechanisms. The first possibility is that replacement is the result
of metamorphism (including autometamorphism) of the rock in the solid state. This
origin is rejected as a general explanation,
FIG. 9.-Leucocratic hornblende norite, San
however,for the followingreasons:(1) patchy Marcos gabbro, southern California. X 14. Ans4 zoning is prominently developed in many Anso [An67-* An59.Simple albite twinning. Modervolcanic rocks lacking any indication of ate corrosion, patches elongate |1 (010).
metamorphic or autometamorphic alteration; (2) the rather uniform development of
patchy zoning in certain igneous bodies
seems inconsistent with metasomatic replacement; and (3) on the basis of textural
evidence consideredbelow.
The second possible mechanism of direct
replacement is by reaction between a magmatic liquid and earlierplagioclase crystals.
This processwould involve mutual exchange
of materialbetween the melt and the plagioclase crystals by diffusion through the crystal lattice. This explanation deserves considerationbecause it is in harmony with the
FIG. 10.-From same specimen as fig. 9. X22.
magmatic origin of the rocks and because
Sec. [I (010). Note the occurrence of included plathe sodic compositionof the includedplagio- gioclase as
fracture fillings. The detail of the includclase and rim plagioclase relative to the ed plagioclase shows oscillatory zoning, which incores fits the sequence of Bowen's reaction dicates crystallization around two centers on the
series. Formation of patchy zoning by some interior walls of the corroded grain.
such form of diffusive reaction has been
advocated by Fuster (1954) and by Fuster cluded plagioclase of many rocks (e.g., fig.
and Ibarrola (1956). Such an origin, how- 10) shows zoning which indicates progresever, is incompatible with certain textural sive filling of internal cavities by crystalfeatures of the patchy zoning. As noted lization from the walls inward. Second,
above, the included plagioclase is in optical direct replacement does not explain the
continuity with and has the same composi- common association of poikilitic inclusions
tion as the inner zones of the rim plagio- with the included plagioclase. Finally, the
clase. The rim plagioclase characteristically presence of a melt phase within the corshows euhedralnormalor oscillatoryzoning, roded cores is indisputablefor those volcanic
features traditionally consideredto form by plagioclases exhibiting glassy poikilitic indirect magmatic crystallization. If the rim clusions.

6420
JOSEPH A. VANCE
Once direct replacement is ruled out, it is

seen that a two-stage mechanism must be
involved in the formation of patchy zoning.
This process entails partial resorption of the
plagioclase followed by crystallization of
more sodic plagioclase as inclusions within
the corroded cores and as marginal overgrowths. The poikilitic inclusions are simply
with the textures of patchy zoning, but with

the compositional contrast between core
plagioclase and included plagioclase and
with the geological evidence. To show this
it is necessary to consider in detail the origin
of the two major textural elements of patchy
zoning, the corroded cores, and the more
sodic plagioclase of the inclusions and rims.
B. ORIGIN OF THE CORRODED CORES
1. CRYSTALLIZATION
FIG. 11.-Quartz monzonite, Mt. Pilchuck, Snohomish County, Washington. X 28. An41-+ An37|
An29-- An13. Two grains in synneusis relationship.
The section of the larger grain is || (010). Moderately
strong patchy zoning. Poikilitic inclusions (quartz,
black; biotite, hatched). Note the preferential corrosion along the coalescent boundary of the two grains.
FIG. 12.-Quartz diorite. Toat's Coulee intrusion,

Okanogan County, Washington. X 13. An61- An55|
An39-* An28. Sec. || (010). Strong corrosion. Poikilitic inclusions (quartz, black; biotite and minor
hornblende, hatched).
explained by this hypothesis as crystallization products of the melt trapped within the
corroded cores after resorption (see Homma
[1936, p. 153]). A similar origin for patchy
zoning appears to be either endorsed or implied by several of the investigators cited
above, many of whom speak of corrosion in
reference to the origin of patchy zoning. The
two-stage replacement process proposed
here is believed to be compatible, not only
OF THE CORES
The cores of most of the plagioclases

studied show weak normal zoning or regular
and delicate euhedral oscillatory zoning
superimposed on a weak normal trend.
These features and the typical idiomorphic
outlines of the cores suggest crystallization
from a melt. Following the interpretation of
Hills (1936) and of Vance (1962), the writer
believes the oscillations to be the result of
recurrent supersaturation and crystallization in a water-deficient melt.
The rather weak range of normal zoning
developed in the plagioclase cores requires
comment. Inspection of Bowen's diagram
for the system albite-anorthite (1913) would
lead one to expect fractional crystallization
to produce a much wider compositional
variation than is actually observed in most
normal zoning. One might, therefore, suppose that this zoning is the result, not of
fractional crystallization, but of incomplete,
though close, approach to equilibrium crystallization. However, regular and delicate
oscillatory zoning is sharply preserved in
many of these same plagioclases, a relation
inconsistent with the extensive diffusion in
the solid state, which approach to equilibrium would require. The weak normal zoning
thus appears to reflect fractional crystallization after all, but it is clear that some
additional factor has largely counteracted
the strong fractionation anticipated from
consideration of Bowen's data alone.
One possible explanation has recently
been suggested by Wyllie (1963), who cites
experimental data indicating markedly different liquidus and solidus slopes and
changes in slope in polycomponent plagioclase systems than in the simple system

641
PATCHY ZONING
albite-anorthite. Another possible factor,

although it is difficult to evaluate quantitatively, is the influence of increasing pressure
of volatiles on the form of the liquidus and
solidus during progressive crystallization.
Whatever the true explanation, it is clear
that Bowen's data for the simple dry system
at low pressure give little more than a crude
approximation of the behavior of complex
natural plagioclase systems under the conditions prevailing in nature.
FIG. 13.-Granodiorite, Grotto batholith. From

same specimen as figs. 5 and 17. X80. Ansi -*
Ano An,3 -* An53 An36-+ An25. Sec. _la. Several
broad albite lamellae. Complex corrosion with two
generations of patchy zoning. Highly corroded inner
core preserved only as isolated scraps and as an irregular shell. Poikilitic inclusions of augite and some
magnetite.
FIG. 14.-Dacite porphyry, from a Tertiary dike,

Suiattle River, Washington. X23. An49- An43
An3s -* An33. Section of a phenocryst _la. Some
albite twinning. Moderate corrosion with complex
channeling. Poikilitic inclusions of quartz.
2.
CAUSE
OF RESORPTION
Introduction.-The
resorption involved
in the formation of patchy zoning could arise
in any of four principal ways: (1) through
equilibrium crystallization, as is possible in
certain two-feldspar systems; (2) through
the influence of water on the plagioclase
liquidus; (3) through increase in temperature; or (4) through fall in pressure in a
water-deficient melt. To be acceptable as an
explanation of the resorption in patchy
zoning the hypothesis must both agree with
FIG. 15.-Andesite vitrophyre, Ross Pass, eastern Snohomish County, Washington. X40. Anso-+
An481An37--*An3s. Section of a phenocryst la.
Simple albite and multiple pericline twinning. Moderately strong corrosion. The poikilitic inclusions are
glass.
FIG. 16.-Andesite vitrophyre from the previous

specimen. X37. An56- An521An43--* Anas. Composite phenocryst of two coalescent grains in Carlsbad synneusis relationship. The section of the larger
grain is _la. Strong corrosion. In the large individual
the core is preserved as a discontinuous shell with
cross-septa 1[(001). Vitric poikilitic inclusions.

642
JOSEPH A. VANCE
the other geologic evidence and account for

the break in composition between core and
rim in reasonable terms. Although any one
of these processes could bring about resorption, detailed consideration suggests that
fall in pressure is probably the factor of most
general significance.
Equilibrium crystallization and resorption.
-Recent
work (Tuttle and Bowen, 1958,
p. 134: Stewart and Roseboom, 1962, p.
308) has shown that certain liquids in twofeldspar systems will crystallize early plagioclase, which, under equilibrium conditions,
may be partially or completely resorbed
during later crystallization of alkali feldspar.
This process, however, cannot be responsible
for the resorption associated with patchy
zoning. It is inapplicable to those many
rocks that show patchy zoning but do not
contain alkali feldspar. The mechanism
explains neither the renewed crystallization
of plagioclase characteristic of all patchy
zoning nor the multiple corrosion found in
certain plagioclases. Finally, in many porphyritic rocks with patchy zoning all the
phyric minerals (e.g., plagioclase, alkali feldspar, and quartz), not just the plagioclase,
show indications of resorption. Resorption
of all phenocryst phases implies disturbance
of equilibrium in the magma as a whole and
can scarcely be the result of progressive and
gradual consolidation of the melt under
equilibrium conditions.
Influence of water pressure on liquidus
temperatures.-The influence of increasing
water pressure in depressing the liquidus
temperatures of water-saturated systems is
well known through experimental studies.
One implication of this relation is that
simultaneous increase of pressure and water
content of a water-saturated magma would
favor resorption of any crystals present.
Resorption might also occur without necessary introduction of water where a magma
with excess water experiences an increase
in total pressure. Increases in total pressure,
however, would seem to require that the
magma be depressed to deeper crustal levels,
an assumption that seems at variance with
geological experience. A further objection
is based on the experimental data of Yoder,

Stewart, and Smith (1957, p. 207) on the
system NaAlSi3O8-CaAl2Si2O8-H20 which
indicate that resorption of plagioclase due to
increase in water pressure (at essentially
constant temperature) would be followed
by crystallization of a more calcic, not a
more sodic, plagioclase. Analogous reasoning
applies to water-bearing but undersaturated
magmas, although experimental data are
lacking. Here, introduction of water (at
constant total pressure) would tend to bring
about resorption. As in the water-saturated
magma just considered, however, renewed
crystallization would necessitate formation
of a more calcic plagioclase, a relation contrary to that found in patchy zoning.
Temperature increase and resorption.Increase in temperature is perhaps the most
obvious of the several possible factors that
might bring about magmatic resorption. It
is doubtful, however, that most patchy
zoning can have formed in this way, for it is
unlikely that rise in temperature is a sufficiently common event in magmatic consolidation to be related to so widespread a
feature. Moreover, consideration of the
several possible mechanisms of increase in
temperature shows that most of these are
incompatible with certain of the features of
patchy zoning. In particular, they fail to
account for the abrupt break in composition
between the more calcic cores and the sodic
rims.
Mixing of magmas is one possible way of
increasing temperature. This would tend to
bring about resorption of any phenocrysts
present in the cooler magma. Two different
situations must be considered; one in which
neither magma is superheated, the other in
which the hotter magma is superheated. The
first case, probably the more common one,
is complex and will not be discussed in detail here. It is sufficient to note that such
mixing commonly produces distinctive mineralogical complexities, notably the association of plagioclase phenocrysts with strikingly different composition and zoning and
the association of strongly corroded crystals
(those of the cooler magma fraction) with

PATCHY ZONING
others (from the hotter magma fraction)

which are not corroded.This generalprocess
could involve magmas of entirely different
composition or magmas of the same composition but in differentstages of consolidation and at differenttemperatures,as where
different portions of a single magma body
are mixed during emplacement (Milch,
1905). Rocks with such a history have been
described by Kuno (1936), Larsen et al.
(1938), and Ogniben (1956) and apparently
are not rare in certain volcanic environments. However, inasmuch as the distinctive characteristicsof this processare absent
in most rocks showing typical patchy zoning
and simple patchy zoning is not consistently
developed in rocks with a history of mixing,
the process must be rejected as a general
explanation.
If we turn instead to mixing of magmas,
643
one of which is superheated, there is a possible combination of factors through which

patchy zoning might arise. A superheated,
more albitic melt mixed with a cooler, more
anorthitic magma could lead to partial resorption of plagioclase crystals in the latter
and, upon cooling, to precipitation of more
sodic plagioclase. Although this process accounts for all the features of patchy zoning,
it can scarcely be the usual mode of formation of these textures. As a general explanation, this hypothesis would imply that each
rock showingpatchy zoning is the product of
two or more initial magmas-one superheated and of more albitic composition, the
other more anorthitic and without superheat-which somehow had been brought
together and mixed at precisely the right
moment in their cooling histories. There is,
however, no independent evidence to sug-
FIG. 17.-Granodiorite, Grotto batholith. From the same specimen as figs. 5 and 14. X23. An58-+ Ans
An43- An27.Sec. Ia. Strong corrosion. Patches elongate 11(010). Detail of the interior of the grain shows
poikilitic inclusions of antiperthitic orthoclase.
FIG. 18.-Granophyre dike, Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, Washington. X44. Anso -* An28 An24Anis. Section of a plagioclase phenocryst _la. Albite twinning. Complex corrosional channeling. The detailed
sketches show the association of quartz (black) and orthoclase (no pattern) as poikilitic inclusions in the
included plagioclase (stippled).

644
JOSEPH A. VANCE
gest that most rocks showing patchy zoning

have any such complex history. The improbability of this explanation is compounded by those rocks showing two or more
stages of patchy zoning.
The temperature of phenocrysts might
also be raised by sinking of the crystals into
subjacent hotter melt (Homma, 1936, p.
138). Snelling (1960, p. 206) advocates such
a mechanism to account for patchy zoning
in the plagioclase of certain Australian
granites. Resorption could occur by this
process, provided that temperature increase
with depth were enough to offset elevation
of the melting point with pressure and that
sinking were rapid enough that simultaneous loss of heat to the environment did not
lead to crystallization. The writer, however,
is not aware of any case in which sinking of
either quartz or feldspar phenocrysts in a
granitic melt has been convincingly demonstrated. Presumably, sinking of crystals is
unlikely in normal water-deficient (undersaturated) silicic melts, which are known
from experimental studies (e.g., Burnham,
1964) to be highly viscous. If such gravitative settling were common, accumulations
of quartz and feldspar crystals would be
conspicuous in many gently dipping silicic
sills and dikes.
Rise in temperature may also result from
rapid crystallization associated with loss of
volatiles and diminishing pressure (cf. Tuttle and Bowen, 1958, p. 54). In these watersaturated magmas, however, separation of
volatiles necessitates continuous crystallization in spite of increasing temperature.
Larsen (1948) expressed the view that the
corroded plagioclase cores in certain quartz
diorites of the southern California batholith
are xenocrysts. A related hypothesis is that
of Rittmann (1960, p. 223), who regards
corroded crystals in most igneous rocks as
relics of older rocks that have survived incomplete melting and anatexis. Conceivably, patchy zoning could develop by either
of these processes. The evidence suggests,
however, that these hypotheses must be
rejected for most patchy zoning. In many
magmatic bodies the corroded cores appear
to be rather uniformly distributed throughout the mass as an essential element of the

fabric. The cores tend to be of uniform composition and show in their zoning and idiomorphic outlines the imprint of magmatic
crystallization. In general, they are not
grossly incompatible with the rest of the
mineral assemblage. These relations suggest
that the cores crystallized from a relatively
homogeneous magma body and are cognate
rather than accidental. Features that might
support either the idea of incorporation of
xenocrysts or the presence of anatectic
relics (e.g., variation in the composition,
zoning, and distribution of the corroded
cores; association with other minerals of
exotic origin; and the presence of xenoliths
containing plagioclase identical to that of
the cores) are typically absent. It is also to
be noted that partial melting of the supposed xenocrysts requires that the magma
that incorporated them be superheated.
In some cases this assumption contradicts
other evidence. As discussed above, reaction
in the solid state cannot be used to explain
the corrosion of the cores, since this process
is incompatible with the textural features of
patchy zoning.
Decrease in confining pressure and resorption.-The writer considers fall in hydrostatic pressure related to upward displacement of the magma to be the most important single cause of magmatic resorption.
This concept, although largely ignored in
the current literature, is a venerable one
(e.g., Lagorio, 1887, p. 510), based on the
fact that in most water-deficient systems the
melting point decreases with falling pressure. In magmas containing crystals at their
liquidus temperature rapid decrease in pressure at approximately constant temperature
provokes a displacement of equilibrium that
must tend to be restored by partial or complete resorption.
Carr's thermodynamic data (1954) for
the plagioclases indicate that with increasing pressure both the liquidus and the solidus are raised relative to Bowen's (1913)
curves at atmospheric pressure. The melting
point of albite is displaced more than that of

645
PATCHY ZONING
anorthite, so that the slopes of the liquidus
and solidus are appreciably lessened. Isothermal fall in pressure would thus shift
equilibrium so that both liquid and crystals
tend to become more calcic, a condition
requiring at least partial solution (resorption) of the crystals.
Geologic evidence appears to support
the role of falling pressure as a major factor
in resorption. Especially significant is the
fact that corrosion is prominent in the
phyric minerals of many volcanic rocks but
is generally lacking in the ground mass
crystals. There is wide agreement that such
phenocrysts are the products of intratelluric
crystallization and that the hiatal porphyritic texture of these rocks reflects
abrupt displacement of the magma to higher
crustal levels or to the surface. Although less
easily demonstrated, a similar history involving initial crystallization at depth followed by vertical movement to the site of
final emplacement seems clear for certain
plutonic rocks as well. This conclusion is
based on the observation that at least a
small percentage of phenocrysts is present
in the early dikes and chilled phases of many
plutonic bodies and that fusion and other
more extreme effects indicative of superheat
are lacking at most plutonic contacts. In
plutonic rocks, however, corrosional features
in these early crystals are commonly masked
by later crystallization.
In any case, it is clear that many magmas
have experienced at least two phases of
crystallization-one at a deeper and one at a
higher level-and
that corrosion is often
conspicuous in the products of the first
phase. These relations strongly suggest that
resorption is related to rise of the magma
during emplacement, and fall in pressure is
the one physical change immediately and
inevitably associated with this rise.
The presence of narrow fractures in the
cores of many plagioclases showing patchy
zoning (e.g., fig. 10) supports this interpretation. This fracturing is older than the rim
plagioclase which fills the narrow cracks and
is believed to have occurred in response to
sudden decrease in pressure at the time of

resorption.
3. MECHANICS
OF RESORPTION
Preservation of zoning in the corroded

crystals indicates that equilibrium was not
maintained during the resorption process.
Equilibrium melting would require that the
crystals, during resorption, be continuously
made over by diffusive reaction to a homogeneous, more calcic plagioclase. The material studied, however, gives no indication
of reaction or homogenization, for delicate
primary oscillatory zoning is present in
many of the resorbed cores.
In addition, most of the corroded plagioclase studied shows weak normal zoning.
The intensive corrosion of the inner, most
calcic, parts of these crystals indicates a
sufficiently great displacement of equilibrium that the entire plagioclase phase (which
typically represents a zonal variation in
excess of 2-3 per cent An) was subject to
resorption. This incomplete resorption is
further evidence of disequilibrium. In some
cases resorption might have been retarded
by a shift in equilibrium so rapid that diffusion of the resorbed material away from
the crystals was unable to maintain a homogeneous melt composition. Crystallization
may, therefore, have been renewed before
resorption was complete.
Intense corrosional channeling of the interior of the cores and relatively weak attack
on their outer portions is characteristic of
the resorption process. The controlling factor in this selective corrosion appears to be
the surface-energy relations on the corrosional interface. An irregularity or imperfection on a crystal face is a site of higher
energy and looser bonding than is an intact
site. Once the energy barrier presented by
the crystal's surface has been breached at
such an irregularity, resorption may progress much more readily inside the crystal.
It is of interest that corrosion in plagioclase
occurs most readily along the plane (010),
and especially along the a-axis within this
plane; it thus tends to follow the directions

646
JOSEPH A. VANCE
along which the plagioclase

most rapid growth.
experienced
C. ORIGIN OF THE RIM PLAGIOCLASE

AND INCLUDED PLAGIOCLASE
If the explanation of resorption in terms

of fall in pressure suggested here is correct,
the abrupt break in composition between
the corroded cores and the rim plagioclase
must be related to this same factor. If the
zonal change in composition can be explained by this same relation, the proposed
mechanism of resorption gains strong support; if it cannot be so explained, the theory
must be abandoned. In order to analyze the
relation of plagioclase composition to pressure, it is necessary to construct hypothetical liquidus and solidus curves for the system albite-anorthite at high confining pressure. Through the calculations of Carr
(1954), the relative displacement of the
melting points of the end members albite
and anorthite with pressure are known with
sufficient accuracy to serve as a basis for
discussion. Unfortunately, however, the exact form of the curves to be drawn between
these points is conjectural and will remain
so until established experimentally or until
the heats of mixing of albite and anorthite
at high confining pressure are determined
so that the curves may be calculated (cf.
Bowen, 1913). Carr drew one possible set of
curves by taking Bowen's curves for the dry
system at atmospheric pressure as a starting
point, flattening both curves greatly, and
pivoting them to fit the calculated melting
points of albite and anorthite at higher
pressure. Although his curves permit fall in
pressure as a mechanism of resorption, they
indicate that a more calcic, rather than a
more sodic, plagioclase should form when
cooling leads to renewed crystallization at
lower pressure. The experimental work of
Yoder et al. on the system NaAlSi3-OsCaAl2Si208-H20 (1957, p. 207) at 5,000 bars
water pressure indicates a stronger curvature of the plagioclase solidus at higher pressure than shown by Bowen's curves at low
pressure. If, as assumed here, this relation
carries over into the dry system at high pres-
sure, hypothetical curves such as those in

figure 19 may be suggested. When the highpressure curves are drawn in this or in any
of several other ways so that either liquidus
or solidus, or both, have appreciable curvature, the relations are reversed from those
shown by Carr; although pressure fall will
still lead to resorption, a more sodic plagioclase crystallizes from the melt at lower
pressure (and temperature).
The development of patchy zoning may
be traced in figure 19. With fall in pressure
at nearly constant temperature, both liquidus and solidus are depressed. To reestablish equilibrium, the melt must become
richer in anorthite, a condition which will
tend to be reached by resorption of the
plagioclase crystals already present. The
exact course of resorption depends on the
degree of departure from equilibrium. Three
different possibilities must be examined, the
limiting cases of perfect equilibrium and
perfect disequilibrium and the actual case
which is probably a close approach to complete disequilibrium. To bring this discussion in closest possible harmony with the
observed features of patchy zoning and to
permit easiest visualization, it is assumed in
each case that (1) fractional crystallization
of a melt L has given rise to normally zoned
crystals X-Xi, the outermost zone of which
is in equilibrium with melt Li; and (2) fall in
pressure would, under equilibrium conditions, be just sufficient to completely resorb
the crystals.
In one limiting case equilibrium is maintained. This would lead to complete resorption giving a liquid L2 (having the same
composition as the initial melt) in equilibrium with vanishing crystals made over by
reaction to the composition X2. If crystallization were renewed at this time, or, indeed, at any time during equilibrium resorption, the new plagioclase would have
the same composition as the crystals and
there would be no break in composition
between core and rim.
The other limiting case is that of complete disequilibrium. Here crystallization
ceases with fall in pressure, but the crystals

647
PATCHY ZONING
do not react with the melt and are neither

resorbednor changed in composition. When
temperature falls so that the liquidus is
reached at the lower pressure, a distinctly
more sodic plagioclase X3 (in equilibrium
with melt L3) will crystallize as rims around
the more calcic cores. With perfect disequilibrium the gap in compositionbetween core
and rim will be at its maximum. Zoning
sequenceswith a sharpbreak in composition
between core and rim and little or no resorption of the core are quite common in
would appear to demand complete resorption, normally only a small fraction of the
cores, commonly less than one-third by
volume, has been resorbed. Accordingly, a
small, but typical increment of resorption
has been used in the diagram to illustrate
this generalcase. Throughpartial resorption
the melt will become slightly more calcic and
will move with falling temperature toward
L4, the exact path being dependent upon
the timing of heat loss relative to pressure
fall. When L4 is reached, a more sodic
AN
AB
FIG. 19.-Phase diagram of the system albite-anorthite showing the relations of the liquidus and solidus at low pressure (the lower pair of curves) with the hypothetical curves at high confining pressure (upper
pair of curves). See explanation in text.
natural plagioclase. In most cases this disequilibrium behavior can probably be ascribed to extremely slow reaction rates.
Most of the plagioclase crystals studied
show wide departurefrom equilibrium.This
is clear from the abrupt break in composition between rim and core, from the absence
of any notable compositional change or
homogenizationof the corrodedplagioclase,
and from the fact that even the most calcic
plagioclase of the cores usually shows evidence of corrosion,a relation implying that
the entire plagioclasephase was potentially
subject to corrosion. Although equilibrium
plagioclase X4 will crystallize as rims and

inclusions. The compositional gap between
the core and rim, although still marked, is
not as great as in the case of complete disequilibrium.As already noted, however, the
fact that even the calcic cores are corroded
indicates a displacement of equilibrium
in excess of that needed to resorb to entire
plagioclasephase. This could allow development of a much wider compositional gap
than that indicated on the diagram.
The preceding discussion was concerned
with renewed crystallization resulting from
fall in temperature. Renewed crystalliza-

648
JOSEPH A. VANCE
tion, however, may also come about through

attainment of saturation in volatiles during
rise of magma in the crust (Vance, 1962, p.
753). The general relations here probably do
not differ significantly from those just
discussed. The experimental work of Yoder
et al. (1957, p. 207) indicates that the
equilibrium curves for water-saturated plagioclase melts at high pressure, though
lowered, are very nearly parallel to and,
except for stronger curvature of the solidus,
do not differ greatly in shape from, the
curves for anhydrous melts at low pressures.
The contrast in composition between
cores and rims in plagioclase showing patchy
zoning has been explained differently by
other workers. These other hypotheses, however, depend upon accidental introduction
of material and can scarcely account for so
general a phenomenon as patchy zoning.
The present theory alone explains these features without change of magma composition.
D. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
POIKILITIC INCLUSIONS
1. GENERAL
REMARKS
In many plagioclases with patchy zoning,

poikilitic inclusions have developed where
crystallization of the included plagioclase
has sealed off magmatic liquid in the interior of the corroded crystals. Certain
vitrophyres give an especially clear picture
of this process (figs. 15, 16). The plagioclase
of these rocks typically contains small subrectangular inclusions of glass surrounded
by a thin zone of included plagioclase.
Crystallization of the included plagioclase
took place from the walls inward, tending to
produce negative crystals with simple pinacoidal forms. Rapid chilling terminated
crystallization preserving small glass inclusions within the included plagioclase. In
plutonic environments the melt included
within the crystals after corrosion eventually must crystallize, partly as sodic plagioclase and partly as poikilitic inclusions of
other minerals. This origin is confirmed by
the restriction of the poikilitic inclusions to
the inner portions of the corroded crystals,

where they exist only in contact with or
surrounded by the included plagioclase.
Poikilitic inclusions are absent in the outer
portions of cores where components of the
included melt not required for plagioclase
crystallization were able to diffuse outward
through channels connecting with the external melt.
The poikilitic inclusions in the plagioclase of most rocks comprise several mineral
species. Pyroxene, hornblende, alkali feldspar, quartz, biotite, and magnetite are the
most common included phases in normal
calc-alkaline rocks. There is considerable
variation in the form of the included minerals. Pyroxene, hornblende, and magnetite
are generally more or less oval in shape,
while inclusions of quartz are often more
irregular. Alkali feldspar, like quartz, may be
irregular, but it commonly forms somewhat
rectangular antiperthitic inclusions molded
on subhedral to euhedral internal crystal
faces of the included plagioclase. In some
rocks, quartz develops these subrectangular
forms also.
Poikilitic inclusions are restricted to minerals that crystallized later than the plagioclase cores, and in most cases their crystallization appears to be essentially contemporaneous with that of the included plagioclase. This relation is extremely useful in
determining the paragenetic sequence. Poikilitic inclusions of this type are unique in
that, although they are the products of
direct magmatic crystallization, they are
younger than the corroded core plagioclase
which surrounds them as a host (cf. Shand,
1951, p. 105).
2.
ANTIPERTHITIC
TEXTURES
Potassium feldspar is common as antiperthitic poikilitic inclusions in certain quartz

monzonites, granodiorites, and quartz diorites with patchy zoning (figs. 17, 18).
Ordinarily these inclusions are quite small
and are easily overlooked, although at higher magnification they can be distinguished
from the surrounding included plagioclase
by their negative relief and somewhat dusty

PATCHY ZONING
appearance. Most such inclusions show a
common orientation with their host, in
which their a-crystallographic axes are very
nearly parallel. In sections cut normal to
the a-axis, the alkali feldspar typically appears as small, almost rectangular, cross
sections which give a nearly centered acute
bisectrix interference figure.
Though antiperthite is generally attributed to replacement or exsolution, neither
hypothesis can account for the present
textures. The replacement theory fails to
explain why the poikilitic alkali feldspar is
always in contact with, and usually surrounded by, the sodic included plagioclase,
and why the inclusions are found only in the
interior of the corroded cores. The exsolution theory likewise presents difficulties.
Although the alkali feldspar and sodic plagioclase could conceivably be interpreted
as complementary exsolution products, this
hypothesis does not explain why the inclusions are present only in the inner part
of the crystal but are absent in plagioclase
of identical composition in the outer portions of the core and in the rim. In addition,
neither replacement nor exsolution is compatible with the coexistence of other poikilitically included minerals with the alkali
feldspar in the same corrosional cavities
(fig. 18).
IV.
SUMMARY
AND
PETROGENETIC
IMPLICATIONS
Formation of most patchy zoning is interpreted here in terms of two distinct

phases of crystallization separated by an
interval of resorption. The first stage of
crystallization occurs at depth in a magma
undersaturated in its volatile components.
Corrosion is thought to occur in response to
falling pressure related to rise of the magma
in the crust. The compositional gap between
the cores and the rims reflects crystallization
at confining pressures corresponding to two
different crustal levels. Igneous plagioclases
lacking the sharp zonal compositional break
between core and rim may in most cases be
inferred to have crystallized in situ after
emplacement of the magma.
649
The degree of resorption appears to be

dependent on two factors: the magnitude
of the decrease in confining pressure and
time, which largely controls how far resorption will go toward completion. Textural
evidence suggests that equilibrium, in the
sense of compositional remaking of the crystals by reaction with the melt, is seldom
closely approached during the corrosion
process.
Because equilibrium curves have not yet
been experimentally determined for waterdeficient plagioclase melts at various confining pressures and, more especially, because equilibrium melting is not attained
during the corrosion process, no precise
significance can be assigned either to the
degree of corrosion or to the width of the
compositional gap between core and rim in
terms of absolute change in pressure. These
features can be applied usefully, however,
because they commonly tend to be rather
uniform within a given igneous body. This
uniformity provides a criterion, along with
other textural and mineralogical data, for
correlation of genetically related magmatic
bodies (e.g., isolated plutons) emplaced at
nearly the same crustal level. A further
useful value is the modal volume of the
plagioclase cores. The modal volume may be
regarded as the minimum amount of crystalline material present in the melt at the time
of emplacement. Similar values for nearby
magmatic bodies would tend to support
their correlation.
Decrease in confining pressure related to
rise of water-deficient magma in the crust
is here considered to be among the most important causes of resorption in phenocrysts.
If this interpretation is correct, two implications may be drawn for magmatic rocks
containing plagioclase with patchy zoning
or, indeed, any phenocrysts showing corrosion features related to pressure decrease.
(Textures closely analogous to patchy zoning
in plagioclase are common in certain phyric
potassium feldspars [cf. Savolahti, 1962, p.
56]). First, it is clear that the magma contained crystals and thus was not superheated at the time of emplacement. Second,

650
JOSEPH A. VANCE
because pressure decrease must generally

cause crystallization, not resorption, in a
water-saturated melt, it may be inferred
that these melts were undersaturated in
volatiles throughout their early history.
This conclusion is supported by the widespread presence of oscillatory zoning in the
resorbed plagioclase cores. That saturation,
when it has occurred, is characteristically
late is indicated by the fact that simple
normal zoning (i.e., without oscillations) is
typically found only in the plagioclase rims
(Vance, 1962). The plagioclase of most
igneous quartz diorites, granodiorites, and
quartz monzonites exhibits either patchy
zoning or regular oscillatory zoning, or

both. These textural features indicate crystallization from magmas that were waterdeficient during most of the interval of
consolidation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.-Thispaper has great-
ly profited from criticism and discussion by

many graduate students and colleagues at the
University of Washington. Several colleagues
have generously contributed material from their
petrographic collections. I am especially grateful to Phyllis Wood for preparation of the illustrations. Gerald K. Czamanske read the manuscript critically and offered many suggestions in
the interest of greater clarity.
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Zoning in Igneous Plagioclase: Patchy Zoning

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