1) 1170C

2) 1130C

Makaopuhi
Lava Lake 1
Samples
collected
from various
depths
beneath the
solid crust
of the lava
lake. From
Wright and
Okamura,
(1977).

3) 1075C

4) 1075C

Makaopuhi Lava Lake 2

Sample temperatures vs. percent glass in the samples (after Wright and
Okamura, (1977) USGS Prof. Paper, 1004).
1250
1200

Temperature
c
1150
1100

1050
1000
950
900

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Percent Glass

80

90

100

Makaopuhi Lava Lake 3

Olivine

Clinopyroxene

Plagioclase

Opaque

1250

Liquidus
1200

note
olivine
decreases
below
1175oC

1150

Temperatureo C
1100

Melt
Crust
1050

1000

Solidus
950

10 0

10

20

30

40 50 0

10

20

30

40

50 0

10

Minerals that form during crystallization (From Wright and Okamura, (1977) USGS Prof. Paper, 1004).

Makaopuhi Lava Lake 4

Mineral composition during crystallization (after Wright and Okamura,
(1977) USGS Prof. Paper, 1004.
100

Olivine

Augite

Plagioclase

90

80

Weight % Glass

70

60

50
.9

.8

.7

Mg / (Mg + Fe)

.9

.8

.7

Mg / (Mg + Fe)

.6

80

70

An

60

Crystallization Behavior of Melts

1. Cooling melts crystallize from a liquid to a solid over a range of
temperatures (and pressures). There is no freezing point.
2. The minerals crystallize with cooling sequentially, with
considerable overlap of the temperature range of crystallization for
different minerals.
3. Minerals that involve solid solution change composition as cooling
progresses.
4. The liquid composition also changes during crystallization as
chemical components in the crystals are removed from the liquid.
5. The minerals that crystallize (as well as the sequence) depends on
T, P, and composition of the melt.
6. The total pressure and partial pressure of the volatiles (e.g., H2O,
CO ) can also affect the minerals and their sequence.

Systems
Systems are what we talk about in petrology.
A system is a small piece of the universe that we are
experimenting with, thinking about, or calculating the
characteristics of. Systems have either physical or
conceptual boundaries.
There are three kinds of systems:
Isolated system: no matter or energy may cross the system
boundary; energy content and chemical composition are
fixed.
Closed system: energy can cross the system boundary but
matter cannot; the system chemical composition is fixed.
Open system: matter and energy can both cross the system
boundary.Most systems that we will be talking about are
closed systems (#2).

The Phase Rule: P = C - f + V

P The number of phases in the system: phases are mechanically
separable constituents, not just solid, liquid, or gas.
C The minimum number of of chemical components needed to
define all phases.
f
The number of degrees of freedom: the number of intensive
variables that can be independently varied without changing the phase
relations.
V The number of non-compositional intensive variables in the
system.
Intensive variables do not depend on the mass of the system.
Intensive variables can be though of as environmental characteristics
imposed from the outside, like pressure, temperature, and the ratios of
chemical components (X).
Extensive variables depend on the mass of the system, and include
things like mass, volume, and heat content.

One-component
system: SiO2
P= C - f +V
C = 1: SiO2
V = 2: P and T
f = 2: P and T can both vary
independently without
changing the phases
f = 1: only P or T can vary
independently without
changing the phases

f = 0: neither P nor T can

vary independently
without changing the
phases
After Swamy and Saxena (1994), J.
Geophys. Res., 99, 11,787-11,794. AGU

f
f
f

Two-component system: Albite-Anorthite 1

Albite (Ab):
Anorthite (An):

NaAlSi3O8
CaAl2Si2O8)

In this system, there are

only two possible phases:
1. Solid plagioclase
solid solution.
2. Liquid solutions of
plagioclase
composition.
In the white region no
materials exist. Instead,
this region is filled with
horizontal, constant
temperature tie lines that
connect equilibrium
liquid and plagioclase
compositions.

Two-component system: Albite-Anorthite 2

P= C - f +V

C = 2: An, Ab
V = 1: T (P is fixed)
f = 2: T and XAn can both
vary independently
without changing the
phases
f = 1: only T or XAn can
vary independently
without changing the
phases
f = 0: neither T nor XAn
can vary independently
without changing the
phases (undefined here)

Two-component system: Diopside-Anorthite 1

Diopside (Di): CaMgSi2O6
Anorthite (An): CaAl2Si2O8

In this system, there are only three

possible phases:
1. Solid
anorthite
2. Solid
diopside
3. Liquid
solutions
In the white
regions no
materials
exist, only
horizontal tie
lines.

Two-component system: Diopside-Anorthite 2

P= C- f +V

f
f
f

f
f

C = 2: Di, An
V = 1: T (P is fixed)
f = 2: T and XAn can
both vary
independently
without
changing the
phases
f = 1: only T or XAn
can vary
independently
without
changing the
phases
f = 0: neither T nor
XAn can vary
independently
without
changing the

Augite forms before plagioclase

This kind of rock forms on the left side of the eutectic, as seen in the DiAn phase diagram.

Gabbro of the Stillwater Complex, a layered intrusion in Montana.

Plagioclase forms before augite

This kind of rock forms on the right side of the eutectic, as seen in the
Di-An phase diagram.

Anorthosite, Moxie Pluton, Greenville, Maine

Two-component system: Forsterite-Silica 1

Forsterite (Fo):
Mg2SiO4
Enstatite (En):
MgSiO3 (Mg2Si2O6)
Cristobalite (Cr): SiO2

This system contains

four phases:
1. Solid forsterite
2. Solid enstatite
3. Solid cristobalite
4. Homogeneous
liquid
In the white regions
no materials exist.
Instead, they are
filled with
horizontal, constant
temperature tie lines
that connect two
equilibrium phases

Two-component system: Forsterite-Silica 2

C = 2: Fo, Cr
V = 1: T (P is fixed)

P= C - f +V

f = 2: T and XSilica can

both vary
independently
without changing the
phases)

f
f
f
f

f
f

f f
f

f = 1: only T or XSilica
can vary
independently
without changing the
phases
f = 0: neither T nor
XSilica can vary
independently

Pressure Effects

Different phases have different compressibilities, so different pressures will change

the Gibbs Free Energy of phases differentially, possibly raising the melting point,
changing a peritectic to a eutectic, or shifting the eutectic position.

Two-component system:
K-feldspar Albite 1
K-feldspar (Ksp):KAlSi3O8
Albite (Ab):
NaAlSi3O8

There are two possible phases

1. Solid alkali feldspar solid
solution.
2. Liquid solutions of alkali
feldspar composition.
In the white region no
materials exist. These areas
are filled with horizontal,
constant temperature tie
lines that connect
equilibrium liquid and
feldspar compositions.

f
f

Two-component
system: K-feldspar
Albite 2
P= C- f +V

f
f

f
f

C = 2: Ksp, Ab
V = 1: T (P is fixed)
f = 2: T and XAb can both vary
independently without
changing the phases
f = 1: only T or XAb can vary
independently without
changing the phases
f = 0: neither T nor XAb can
vary independently without
changing the phases
(undefined here)

Effect of PH2O on the K-feldspar Albite system

With increasing PH2O, the rabbit ears drop in temperature as a result of
depression of the liquidus and solidus. Eventually, the solidus rests on top of
the solvus, and the minimum becomes a true eutectic with f = 0 and P = 3.

Summary of chemical reactions

Albite-Anorthite system
L = Plagioclase solid solution
Diopside-Anorthite system
L = An
L = Di
L = Di + An (eutectic)

Forsterite-Silica system (abridged)

L = Fo
L = En
L = Sil
L = En + Sil (eutectic)
L + Fo = En (peritectic)

Orthoclase-Albite system (low P)

L = K-rich feldspar solid solution
L = Na-rich feldspar solid solution
Feldspar solid solution = K-rich
and Na-rich feldspars (unmixing)
Orthoclase-Albite system (high
PH2O), all of the above plus:
L = K-rich feldspar + Na-rich
feldspar (eutectic)