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Orthopyroxene stability within Kimberlite magma : an experimental investigation

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.

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Main Author: Jacobs, Daniel A. B.
Other Authors: Stevens, Gary
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2012
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access_status_str Open Access
author Jacobs, Daniel A. B.
author2 Stevens, Gary
author_browse Jacobs, Daniel A. B.
Stevens, Gary
author_facet Stevens, Gary
Jacobs, Daniel A. B.
author_sort Jacobs, Daniel A. B.
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/20211
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:47:13.687Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2012
publishDateRange 2012
publishDateSort 2012
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
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source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/20211 Orthopyroxene stability within Kimberlite magma : an experimental investigation Jacobs, Daniel A. B. Stevens, Gary Le Roex, Anton P. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Earth Sciences. Kimberlite petrogenesis Orthopyroxene stability Incongruent melting Dissertations -- Earth sciences Theses -- Earth sciences Magmas -- South Africa Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The common presence of large volumes of coarse-grained olivine in kimberlite magmas has been proposed to attest to the volume of mantle xenolith material that has been disaggregated during the ascent of the magma. Orthopyroxene should constitute 10-50 vol% of mantle xenoliths in kimberlites, some of which must be disaggregated into the kimberlite, yet it is typically absent. This work tests the stability of orthopyroxene in ascending kimberlite magma by conducting experiments at pressures between 2.0 and 3.5 GPa and temperatures between 1100 and 1300°C. The starting material consisted of natural hypabyssal kimberlite that is close in composition to primary group I kimberlite magma with 5wt% orthopyroxene sourced from a natural peridotite added. At higher temperatures and pressures it is seen that orthopyroxene quantities exceed that of the starting material, but at lower temperatures and pressures it is absent. These results indicate that orthopyroxene is not stable in the magma composition investigated within the shallower part of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. Based on increased olivine volumes in the experiments where orthopyroxene disappeared, as well as textural relationships between olivine and orthopyroxene, it is found that orthopyroxene dissolution is incongruent along the reaction Mg2Si2O6 (opx) = Mg2SiO4 (ol) + SiO2 (in the liquid). It is concluded that this reaction leads to a maximum addition of 5.5 vol% peritectic olivine to the kimberlite as it ascends through the depths equivalent to a pressure window of 2.0 to 3.5 GPa. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: The common presence of large volumes of coarse-grained olivine in kimberlite magmas has been proposed to attest to the volume of mantle xenolith material that has been disaggregated during the ascent of the magma. Orthopyroxene should constitute 10-50 vol% of mantle xenoliths in kimberlites, some of which must be disaggregated into the kimberlite, yet it is typically absent. This work tests the stability of orthopyroxene in ascending kimberlite magma by conducting experiments at pressures between 2.0 and 3.5 GPa and temperatures between 1100 and 1300°C. The starting material consisted of natural hypabyssal kimberlite that is close in composition to primary group I kimberlite magma with 5wt% orthopyroxene sourced from a natural peridotite added. At higher temperatures and pressures it is seen that orthopyroxene quantities exceed that of the starting material, but at lower temperatures and pressures it is absent. These results indicate that orthopyroxene is not stable in the magma composition investigated within the shallower part of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. Based on increased olivine volumes in the experiments where orthopyroxene disappeared, as well as textural relationships between olivine and orthopyroxene, it is found that orthopyroxene dissolution is incongruent along the reaction Mg2Si2O6 (opx) = Mg2SiO4 (ol) + SiO2 (in the liquid). It is concluded that this reaction leads to a maximum addition of 5.5 vol% peritectic olivine to the kimberlite as it ascends through the depths equivalent to a pressure window of 2.0 to 3.5 GPa. 2012-03-04T14:55:05Z 2012-03-30T10:53:07Z 2012-03-04T14:55:05Z 2012-03-30T10:53:07Z 2012-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20211 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 47 p. : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Kimberlite petrogenesis
Orthopyroxene stability
Incongruent melting
Dissertations -- Earth sciences
Theses -- Earth sciences
Magmas -- South Africa
Jacobs, Daniel A. B.
Orthopyroxene stability within Kimberlite magma : an experimental investigation
title Orthopyroxene stability within Kimberlite magma : an experimental investigation
title_full Orthopyroxene stability within Kimberlite magma : an experimental investigation
title_fullStr Orthopyroxene stability within Kimberlite magma : an experimental investigation
title_full_unstemmed Orthopyroxene stability within Kimberlite magma : an experimental investigation
title_short Orthopyroxene stability within Kimberlite magma : an experimental investigation
title_sort orthopyroxene stability within kimberlite magma an experimental investigation
topic Kimberlite petrogenesis
Orthopyroxene stability
Incongruent melting
Dissertations -- Earth sciences
Theses -- Earth sciences
Magmas -- South Africa
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20211
work_keys_str_mv AT jacobsdanielab orthopyroxenestabilitywithinkimberlitemagmaanexperimentalinvestigation