continuous porosity characterization metric scale intervals in heterogeneous sedimentary rocks using medical ct scanner abstract although computed tomography ct scanning has been regularly applied to core analyses in petroleum geology there is still a need to improve our ways to document porosity and porosity distribution in the entire pore scale spectrum from the tens of nanometer to the meter scale porosity imaging is particularly crucial for complex and heterogeneous rocks such as hydrothermally altered and fractured carbonates the present work proposes an improved method using medical ct to reliably estimate reservoir porosity an in house core flooding setup allowed to analyse several individual core samples scanned simultaneously dry and saturated as well as continuous core sections up to 1 5 m long without any prior knowledge of samples three dimensional alignment and subtraction of the two data sets dry and saturated states results in the generation of 3d porosity matrices the methodology tested on a large set of reference core material shows a strong correlation between conventional gas porosimetry techniques and porosity from ct scan the added value of the porosity measurements by ct scan is first of all the generation of 3d images of pore network allowing to assess spatial attributes of macropores their distribution and connectivity secondly the ct scan method also provides continuous porosity profile at the millimetric scale both developments are crucial for the understanding of reservoir rock properties

three dimensional imaging of earth and planetary materials x ray computed tomography neutron computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are driving novel scientific advances by enabling rapid non destructive three dimensional examination and analysis of earth and planetary materials discoveries catalyzed by these approaches range across fields from environmental geology to petroleum geology hydrology to soil science paleontology to petrology and geodynamics to meteoritics they have impacted our understanding of hydrocarbon reservoirs contaminant transport climate change co2 sequestration the evolution of life crustal uplift mantle metasomatism planetary differentiation and more three dimensional imaging is likely soon to become an essential component of every investigator s toolkit especially as instruments and facilities emerge that are optimized for increasingly sophisticated geological applications of these techniques and as access to them expands

biogenically enhanced reservoir properties in the medicine hat gas field alberta canada abstract spot minipermeametry and micro ct analytical techniques were employed to evaluate the effect s of bioturbation on porosity and permeability distributions in reservoir facies of the highly prolific medicine hat gas field of alberta canada this study focuses on five cm scale samples that occur at different stratigraphic positions and intersect discrete bioturbated horizons within the medicine hat member spot minipermeability results demonstrate that permeability in bioturbated sandstones is up to two orders of magnitude greater than those of the muddy matrix thus corresponding to a dual porosity fluid flow system graphing bioturbation intensity versus measured permeability indicates that burrows are well connected horizontally and provide flow conduits micro ct models reveal that burrowed sandstones are isolated and planiform in character rare interpenetrations from vertically oriented trace fossils serve to interconnect these hydraulically isolated strata results show that bioturbated sandstones possess reservoir properties comparable to those associated with laminated sandstones yielding an anisotropic porous medium understanding the impact of trace fossils on porosity permeability distributions in the medicine hat gas field can be used to identify potential reservoir from previously interpreted non reservoir rock and ultimately improve reserve estimations

quantitative analysis of reservoir rocks by microfocus x ray computerised tomography abstract microfocus computer tomography ct is a non destructive imaging technique that allows visualisation of internal features within non transparent objects such as sedimentary rocks with resolution as good as 10 m in three dimensions this technique is highly superior to medical ct widely used in geology and material sciences superior resolution is achieved by decreasing the x ray spot size which allows a decrease in the penumbra effect and an increase in primary magnification by placing the sample close to the x ray source since polychromatic x ray sources are used the technique is not free of artefacts application of filtering techniques is recommended to circumvent these artefacts and to achieve good quality images for quantitative analysis application of a dual energy approach allows quantification of density as well as effective atomic number distribution of internal features as the technique acquires data in 3d ct provides an ideal tool to link 2d thin section petrography to 3d petrophysical measurements or to be used within an upscaling approach a number of applications and the use of dual energy density and effective atomic number characterisations are presented attention is also paid to some of the limitations of this technique

the role of h 2 o in rapid emplacement and crystallization of granite pegmatites resolving the paradox of large crystals in highly undercooled melts granite pegmatite sheets in the continental crust are characterized by very large crystals there has been a shift in viewing pegmatites as products of very slow cooling of granite melts to viewing them as products of crystal growth in undercooled liquids with this shift there has been a renewed debate about the role of h2o in the petrogenesis of pegmatites based on data on nucleation of minerals and new viscosity models for hydrous granite melts it is argued that h2o is the essential component in the petrogenesis of granite pegmatites h2o is key to reducing the viscosity of granite melts which enhances their transport within the crust it also dramatically reduces the glass transition temperature which permits crystallization of melts at hundreds of degrees below the thermodynamic solidus which has been demonstrated by fluid inclusion studies and other geothermometers published experimental data show that because h2o drastically reduces the nucleation rates of silicate minerals the minerals may not be able to nucleate until melt is substantially undercooled in a rapidly cooling intrusion nucleation starts at its highly undercooled margins followed by inward crystal growth towards its slower cooling hotter core delay in nucleation may be caused by competition for crystallization by several minerals in the near eutectic melts and by the very different structures of minerals and the highly hydrated melts once a mineral nucleates however it may grow rapidly to a size that is determined by the distance between the site of nucleation and the point in the magma at which the temperature is approximately that of the mineral s liquidus assuming components necessary for mineral growth are available along the growth path granite pegmatites are apparently able to retain h2o during most of their crystallization histories within the confinement of their wall rocks pegmatitic texture is a consequence of delayed nucleation and rapid growth at large undercooling both of which are facilitated by high h2o li b f and p contents in granite pegmatite melts without retention of h2o the conditions for pegmatitic textural growth may be difficult to achieve loss of h2o due to decompression and venting leads to microcrystalline texture and potentially glass during rapid cooling as seen in rhyolites in contrast slow cooling within a large magma chamber promotes continuous exsolution of h2o from crystallizing magma growth of equant crystals and final solidification at the thermodynamic solidus these are the characteristics of normal granites that distinguish them from pegmatites

constraints on melting and magma production in the crust major intrusions of granitic rocks are found in several tectonic settings and in all cases crustal melts may contribute to the volumes of granitic magma high grade metamorphism and partial melting of the crust take place predominantly under fluid absent conditions we present a model for calculating the amounts of melt that may be formed by fluid absent breakdown of micas and amphiboles in common crustal rock types pelitic quartzofeldspathic intermediate and mafic melt proportions depend mainly on the kind of source rock the pressure at which melting takes place the temperature and the hydrous mineral h2o content of the source as a consequence of the pressure dependence of water solubility in silicate melts any given source rock will produce more melt by a given fluid absent reaction at lower pressure at a given pressure higher temperature reactions can produce more melt from a given source rock based on a survey of the compositions of common rock types we show that the amounts of melt can vary from 50vol thus crustal rocks vary widely in their fertility as magma sources depending on the types and amounts of hydrous phases they contain in general muscovite breakdown in pelites will yield only small quantities of melt and lead to migmatite formation biotite breakdown in pelites occurs at higher temperature and because most high grade pelites below granulite grade are biotite rich can yield up to about 50 vol of granitoid melt rocks of intermediate composition and hornblende rich mafic rocks are potentially highly fertile magma sources also provided that the high temperatures necessary for biotite and hornblende breakdown are realized pyroxene rich mafic rocks and quartzofeldspathic rocks are much less potentially fertile data suggest that mechanisms exist for the efficient segregation of melt and restite in systems with 30and probably 20vol melt the pressure temperature history of a region can greatly influence crustal source fertility through its control over the occurrence of subsolidus dehydration and melting equilibria

impact of sedimentology and diagenesis on the petrophysical properties of a tight oolitic carbonate reservoir the case of the oolithe blanche formation bathonian paris basin france the oolithe blanche formation was studied in three quarries located at the south eastern edge of the paris basin france heterogeneities in reservoir properties were assessed through a sedimentological diagenetic and petrophysical study the relationships between depositional settings diagenesis and petrophysical properties were analysed using detailed petrographic studies image analysis nano ctscans and petrophysical measurements the carbonate reservoir pore network is mainly controlled by intraparticle microporosity which ensures the connectivity with interparticle meso and macroporosity early cementation vs early compaction processes mainly grain interpenetration may have considerable influence on fluid flow properties and parameters such as permeability acoustic velocities and tortuosity better reservoir properties are found when compaction processes begin before cementation from statistical analyses e g principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis a sedimentological diagenetic and petrophysical model is proposed that is in a good agreement with the geological model developed from field work

a monazite oxygen isotope thermometer a quartz monazite oxygen isotope thermometer was calibrated based on 18 o measurements of mineral separates from monazite bearing rocks and on piston cylinder calcite monazite oxygen exchange experiments the oxygen isotope composition of monazite was measured using secondary ion mass spectrometry sims and multiple fluorination techniques the results of these measurements suggest that 1 differences in th content of monazite can cause the instrumental mass fractionation in an ion microprobe to vary by at least 4 o 2 the oxygen isotope compositions of chemically distinct zones in the monazite grains analyzed are probably similar and 3 18 mnz is most accurately determined by extracting oxygen via fluorination in nickel vessels comparing the oxygen isotope fractionation between quartz and monazite with independently derived temperature estimates suggests that 1 the coefficient of fractionation between quartz and monazite a qtz mnz equals 2 2 0 6 and 2 100 m monazite grains in a multiply metamorphosed granulite facies orthogneiss from the wind river range record the high temperature history of this rock whereas other isotopic thermometers suffered retrograde oxygen exchange this evidence indicates that monazite might be used to constrain peak metamorphic temperatures which may correlate with the ages recorded by the same mineral

the generation and crystallization conditions of the proterozoic harney peak leucogranite black hills south dakota usa petrologic and geochemical constraints the mineralogy petrology and geochemistry of the proterozoic harney peak granite black hills south dakota were examined in view of experimentally determined phase equilibria applicable to granitic systems in order to place constraints on the progenesis of peraluminous leucogranites and commonly associated rare element pegmatites the granite was emplaced at 3 4 kbar as multiple sills and dikes into quartz mica schists at the culmination of a regional high temperature low pressure metamorphic event principally along the periphery of the main pluton and in satellite intrusions the sills segregated into granite pegmatite couplets the major minerals include quartz k feldspar sodic plagioclase and muscovite biotite mg no molar mgo mgo feo 0 32 0 38 is the predominant ferromagnesian mineral in the granite s core whereas at the periphery of the main pluton and in the satellite intrusions tourmaline mg no 0 18 0 48 is the dominant ferromagnesian phase almandine spessartine garnet is also found in the outer intrusions there is virtually a complete overlap in the wide concentration ranges of sio2 cao mgo feo sr zr w of the biotite and tourmaline bearing granite suites with no discernable differentiation trends on harker diagrams precluding the derivation of one suite from the other by differentiation following emplacement this is consistent with the oxygen isotope compositions which are 11 5 0 6 for the biotite granites and 13 2 0 8 for the tourmaline granites suggesting derivation from different sources the concentrations of tio2 and possibly ba are higher and of mno and b are lower in the biotite granites the normative orthoclase albite ratio is extremely variable ranging from 0 26 to 1 65 in the biotite granites to 0 01 1 75 in the tourmaline granites very few sample compositions fall near the high pressure watersaturated haplogranite minima eutectic trend indicating that the granites for the most part are not minimum melts generated under conditions with a text h text 2 text o 1 instead most biotite granites are more potassic than the water saturated minima and eutectics and in analogy with experimentally produced granitic melts they are best explained by melting at 6 kbar a text h text 2 text o 1 and temperatures 800 c such high temperatures are also indicated by oxygen isotope equilibration among the constituent minerals nabelek et al 1992 several of the tourmaline granite samples contain virtually no k feldspar and have oxygen isotope equilibration temperatures 716 775 c therefore they must represent high temperature accumulations of liquidus minerals crystallized under equilibrium conditions from melts more sodic than the water saturated haplogranite minima or during fractionation of intruded melts into granite pegmatite couplets accompanied by volatile aided differentiation of the alkali elements the indicated high temperatures a text h text 2 text o 1 the relatively high tio2 and ba concentrations and the relatively low partial 18 text o values of the biotite granites suggest that they were generated by high extent biotite dehydration melting of an immature archean metasedimentary source the ascent of the hot melts may have triggered low extent muscovite dehydration melting of schists higher in the crust producing the high b low ti melts comprising the periphery of the main pluton and the satellite intrusions alternatively the different granite types may be the result of melting of a vertical section of the crust in response to the ascent of a thermal pulse with the low partial 18 text o biotite granites generated at a deeper hotter region and the high partial 18 text o tourmaline granites at a higher cooler region of the crust the low ti and high b concentrations in the high partial 18 text o melts resulted in the crystallization of tourmaline rather than biotite which promoted the observed differentiation of the melts into the granitic and pegmatitic layers found along the periphery of the main pluton and the satellite intrusions

structural environment around th4 in silicate glasses implications for the geochemistry of incompatible me4 elements the structural environment around th4 in several silicate glasses containing 1 3 wt th4 was investigated as a function of melt composition and polymerization using extended x ray absorption fine structure exafs spectroscopy one set of glasses had the bulk chemical composition of monticellite mo diopside di anorthite an albite al olivine basalt o bas tholeiitic basalt t bas calc alkaline dacite dac and calc alkaline rhyolite rhy a second set of th bearing glasses had the bulk al composition but also contained either 5 5 wt f or 2000 ppm cl in glasses containing 3 wt th th coordination varies from 8 d viiith o 2 41 0 02 a in mo and di to a mixture of 8 and 6 coordinations d vi viiith o 2 35 2 36 0 02 a in all other compositions the presence of viiith is related to the thorianite tho2 saturation in the glass in al glasses containing 1 wt th 6 fold coordinated th dominates d vith o 2 32 0 02 a no clear evidence for f or cl complexes around th is observed in any of the halogen containing glasses weak but significant interactions of th with tetrahedral si al network and or alkali elements are observed especially in highly polymerized compositions rhy in which th si ai na k contributions are detected between 3 25 and 3 50 0 05 a these results suggest that in this set of glasses th does not form complexes but rather acts as a weak network modifier the presence of vith in silicate glasses an unusual low coordination for th suggests that the ionic radius of th in magmatic systems is lower than previously reported rth 0 94 a the resulting high th o bond strength 0 7 vu unknown in minerals may explain the observed low crystal melt partition coefficients of th4 i e its incompatible character during magmatic differentiation increasing polymerization is predicted to favor higher coordination around th viii ix as a result of a shortage of nbo to which th preferentially bonds hence dramatic changes in the crystal chemistry of th are predicted i e the incorporation of th in minerals comparison with u4 suggests that vith is less abundant in similar glass melt systems compared with viu this may explain the u th fractionation often observed in zircon as well as the preferential incorporation of th in accessory minerals containing large sites in which th4 can be substituted e g the ca2 site in titanite apatite or zirkelite

paragenesis of cretaceous to eocene carbonate reservoirs in the ionian fold and thrust belt albania relation between tectonism and fluid flow this paper examines the diagenetic history of dual i e matrix and fracture porosity reservoir lithologies in cretaceous to eocene carbonate turbidites of the ionian fold and thrust belt close to the oil producing centre of fier ballsh central albania the first major diagenetic event controlling reservoir quality was early cementation by isopachous and syntaxial low mg calcite these cements formed primarily around crinoid and rudist fragments which acted as nucleation sites in sediments in which these bioclasts are the major rock constituent this cement can make up 30 of the rock volume resulting in low effective porosity in strata in which these bioclasts are mixed with reworkedmicrite isopachous syntaxial cements stabilized the framework and matrixporosity is around 15 the volumetric importance of these cements their optical and luminescence character distribution and dull orange luminescence and stable isotopic signal 18o and 13c averaging respectively 0 5 vpdb and 2 vpdb all support a marine phreatic origin within these turbidites and debris flows several generations of fractures alternated with episodes of cementation a detailed reconstruction of this history was based on cross cutting relationships of fractures and compactional and layer parallel shortening lps stylolites the prefolding calcite veins possess orange cathodoluminescence similar to that of the host rock their stable isotope signatures 18o of 3 86 to 0 85 vpdb and 13c of 0 14 to 2 98 vpdb support a closed diagenetic rock buffered system a similar closed system accounts for the selectively reopened and subsequently calcite cemented lps stylolites 18o of 1 81 to 1 14 vpdb and 13c of 1 52 to 2 56 vpdb within the prefolding veins brecciated host rock fragments and complex textures such as crack and seal features resulted from hydraulic fracturing they reflect expulsion of overpressured fluids within the footwall of the frontal thrusts after folding and thrust sheet emplacement some calcite veins are still rock buffered 18o of 0 96 to 0 2 vpdb and 13c of 0 79 to 1 37 vpdb whereas others reflect external i e extraformational and thus large scale fluid fluxes some of these veins are linked to basement derived fluid circulation or originated from fluid flow along evaporitic decollement horizons 18o around 3 0 vpdb and 13c around 1 5 vpdb others are related to the maturation of hydrocarbons in the system 18o around 7 1 vpdb and 13c around 9 3 vpdb an open joint system reflecting an extensional stress regime developed during or after the final folding stage this joint system enhanced vertical connectivity this open joint network can be explained by the high palaeotopographical position and the folding of the reservoir analogue within the deformational front the joint system is pre burdigalian in age based upon a dated karstified discordance contact sediment filled karst cavity development is linked to meteoric water infiltration during emergence of some of the structures despite its sediment fill the karst network is locally an important contributor to reservoir matrix porosity in otherwise tight lithologies development of secondary porosity along bed parallel and bed perpendicular i e layer parallel shortening stylolites is interpreted as a late stage diagenetic event associated with migration of acidic fluids during hydrocarbon maturation development of porosity along the lps system enhanced the vertical reservoir connectivity

micromorphological and x ray µct study of orthic humic gleysols under different management conditions abstract the aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of different void types and fe mn oxide segregations in the a and b horizons of three orthic humic gleysols from an uncultivated area and two long time experimental plots an unfertilized continuous maize plot and a fertilized maize oats alfalfa alfalfa rotation plot from woodslee ontario in view of the fact that numerous x ray ct studies have obtained diverse results in principal because of a different resolution of the analyzed ct imagery the utilization of standardized classes in the quantification of similar features e g soil pores seems necessary in order to obtain comparable results this x ray study performed on polished blocks is an example of how ct quantitative results related to volume and area of pores and fe mn oxide segregations can be interpreted in connection with micromorphological characterizations of thin sections of the same samples using typical micromorphological classes separated based on size and shapes of the analyzed features maximum pore volume values noticed in the ah horizon of the uncultivated soil and in the bg horizon of the soil from the rotation plot were considered an indication of a more favourable aero hydric regime in these soils compared to the soil from the continuous maize plot the lowest volumes of fe mn oxides were found in the same horizons porosity and pore morphology have a clear influence in the evolution of redox processes and implicitly in the formation of typical redoximorphic pedofeatures in gleysols the thin section analysis revealed that fe mn nodules and concretions as well as fe depletion areas were more frequent and better developed in the soil from the continuous maize plot than in the other soils it was concluded that the examination of the soil features from the perspective of defined size and shape groups may represent a basis for a standardized spatial characterization of soil and for the interpretation of certain pedogenetic processes

the role of magmatic and hydrothermal processes in the evolution of be bearing pegmatites evidence from beryl and its breakdown products beryl and euclase crystals from the mina do santino and the jacu pegmatites in the borborema pegmatite province in northeastern brazil contain several generations of melt and fluid inclusions which allow interpretation of p t x conditions responsible for beryl crystallization and for alteration of a primary pegmatitic mineral assemblage to a mixture of hydrothermal minerals euclase bertrandite kaolinite and quartz primary melt and fluid inclusions hosted by beryl were trapped simultaneously however their homogenization temperatures are significantly higher 870 900 c than the values previously reported for pegmatitic systems 712 c and should be treated with caution an isobaric drop of temperature resulted in the exsolution of a fluid a low salinity co2 enriched phase and a saline water rich phase were trapped in pseudosecondary inclusions in beryl at a pressure of 2 1 2 7 kbar and temperature of 390 480 c cooling of the country rocks below 400 c caused a ductile to brittle transition and allowed infiltration of cold groundwater which further decreased the temperature in the system to 190 240 c at the same time the pressure dropped from a lithostatic 2 1 2 7 kbar to a hydrostatic value 0 57 0 73 kbar consequently minerals deposited under magmatic conditions feldspars and beryl became unstable and a newly formed hydrothermal mineral paragenesis euclase bertrandite kaolinite and quartz overprinted the earlier one the hydrothermal fluids responsible for the alteration differ from the earlier exsolved fluids in having a lower salinity lower homogenization temperature the absence of co2 and the presence of ch4

the 3d microscopic signature of strain within glacial sediments revealed using x ray computed microtomography abstract x ray computed microtomography ct a non destructive analytical technique was used to create volumetric three dimensional 3d models representing the internal composition and structure of undisturbed pro and subglacial soft sediment sample plugs for the purposes of identifying and analysing kinematic indicators the technique is introduced and a methodology is presented addressing specific issues relating to the investigation of unlithified polymineralic sediments six samples were selected based on their proximity to type brittle and ductile deformation structures or because of their perceived suitability for successful application of the technique analysis of a proglacial ideal specimen permitted the 3d geometry of a suite of micro faults and folds to be investigated and the strain history of the sample reconstructed the poor contrast achieved in scanning a diamicton of glaciomarine origin is attributable to overconsolidation under normal loading the sediment demonstrated to have undergone subsequent subglacial deformation another overconsolidated diamicton contains an extensive small scale the subglacial sample evidence indicates that complex polyphase brittle ductile deformation histories are common in such diamictic soft sediments and that the local micro scale environment composition structure shear forces and effective pressure controls rheology the sediment void ratio is a key indicator of strain three of the samples are tentatively placed at different points on the strain cycle for subglacially deforming soft sediment based on their void ratio characteristics and distribution it has been demonstrated that ct offers significant potential for elucidating glacial soft sediment kinematics the ability of the technique to both test a variety of hypotheses pertaining to mechanisms operating within the subglacial environment and evaluate efforts to replicate those processes under controlled laboratory conditions is therefore discussed along with solutions to the problems encountered within this project ct also permits the seamless linking of analytical techniques applied at the hand specimen mm micromorphological m mm scanning electron microscopy and x ray diffraction fluorescence nm m scales and the archiving duplication and dissemination of sample volumetric 3d data

the miocene pliocene macusani volcanics se peru i mineralogy and magmatic evolution of a two mica aluminosilicate bearing ignimbrite suite

applications of x ray computed tomography in the geosciences x ray computed tomography ct is a technique that allows non destructive imaging and quantification of internal features of objects it was originally developed as a medical imaging technique but it is now also becoming widely used for the study of materials in engineering and the geosciences x ray ct reveals differences in density and atomic composition and can therefore be used for the study of porosity the relative distribution of contrasting solid phases and the penetration of injected solutions as a non destructive technique it is ideally suited for monitoring of processes such as the movement of solutions and the behaviour of materials under compression because large numbers of parallel two dimensional cross sections can be obtained three dimensional representations of selected features can be created in this book various applications of x ray ct in the geosciences are illustrated by papers covering a wide range of disciplines including petrology soil science petroleum geology geomechanics and sedimentology

fluid inclusion microthermometry in be ta li sn bearing pegmatites from the borborema province northeast brazil abstract fluid inclusions in be ta li sn bearing pegmatites have been reported in the literature as hypersaline aqueous brines or low salinity aqueous or aqueous carbonic fluids the evolution paths of volatile fluids in equilibrium with the different crystallizing phases of rare element pegmatites do not seem to be unique the aim of this work is to contribute to this discussion on the basis of fluid inclusion information from the borborema pegmatite province bpp in northeast brazil some well known heterogeneous be ta li sn mineralized pegmatites of this province were systematically sampled along cross sections with the purpose of studying the fluid inclusions in the different pegmatite zones i muscovite rich contact zone ii homogeneous or graphic pegmatite iii blocky feldspar zone and iv quartz core the observed fluid inclusions mainly in quartz were almost always secondary or pseudosecondary grouped along healed fractures with random orientation even some trails paralleling quartz grain limits were not undoubtedly primary almost all these fluid inclusions were filled with low salinity aqueous or aqueous carbonic fluids primary inclusions were recognized only in some well formed crystals from druses with erratic distribution in the pegmatites microthermometric data from these samples confirm that the various crystallizing phases of the pegmatites were in equilibrium with low salinity aqueous or aqueous carbonic fluids with insignificant n 2 or ch 4 contents with frequent accidentally trapped solids the various types of primary inclusions found in these crystals compare well with the types of secondary inclusions of the samples from the systematic cross sections the relative age of the crystals hosting primary fluid inclusions the relative age of primary inclusion types in successive crystal growth zones the relative age of secondary fluid inclusion trails and the corresponding microthermometric data allowed to establish the most probable evolution of the fluid characteristics during pegmatite crystallization an early low salinity aqueous carbonic fluid with co 2 contents of 20 mol was present during the crystallization of early minerals such as garnet and tourmaline of the border zone and graphic quartz beryl manganotantalite and blue tourmaline of zones ii and iii the end of zone iii crystallization occurred in the presence of a low salinity aqueous fluid with very low co 2 contents as indicated by inclusions in the smoky core of quartz crystals at the limit between zones iii and iv later aqueous fluids barren in co 2 and with salinities increasing from 5 to 20 coexisted with the formation of the pegmatite nucleus and replacement bodies as indicated by inclusions in the border of these crystals and in euclase the estimated trapping conditions of 3 5 kbar and 580 c for the earliest inclusion types agree with the regional metamorphic conditions and with the known liquidus conditions of rare element bearing pegmatite crystallization the trapping conditions of inclusions in euclase and coexisting quartz crystal rims in the pegmatitic core at 3 5 kbar and 400 c are slightly below the conditions admitted for the solidus of rare element pegmatites and indicate an isobaric cooling during pegmatite crystallization

vapor undersaturated experiments with macusani glass h 2 o at 200 mpa and the internal differentiation of granitic pegmatites vapor undersaturated fractional crystallization experiments with macusani glass macusanite a peraluminous rhyolite obsidian at 200 mpa yield mineralogical fabrics and zonation and melt fractionation trends that closely resemble those found in zoned granitic pegmatites and other granitoids of comparable composition typically peraluminous li be ta rich deposits the zonation from the edge of charges inward is characterized by 1 fine grained sodic feldspar quartz border zones 2 a fringe of very coarse grained graphic quartz feldspar intergrowths that flair radially toward melt and terminate with nearly monophase k feldspar 3 cores of very coarse grained nearly monominerallic quartz or virgilite lialsi5o12 mica and 4 late stage fine grained albite mica intergrowths that are deposited from alkaline na rich interstitial melt at vapor saturation similar experimental products have been observed in compositionally simpler less evolved systems liquid lines of descent from initially h2o undersaturated runs are marked by a decrease in sio2 and increases in na k b p f h2o and a variety of trace lithophile cations these trends are believed to be governed by three factors 1 disequilibrium growth of feldspars quartz via metastable supersaturation 2 fractionation of melt toward sio2 depleted na rich compositions due to increases in b p and f and 3 changes in nucleation and growth rates mostly as a function of the h2o content of melt x w m in contrast experiments that are cooled below the liquidus from the field of melt aqueous vapor london et al 1988 fail to replicate pegmatitic characteristics in most respects on the basis of these and other experiments we suggest that the formation of pegmatite fabrics stems primarily from fractional crystallization in volatile rich melts and that enrichments in normally trace lithophile elements result from melt differentiation trends toward increasingly alkaline silica depleted compositions although vapor saturation at near solidus and subsolidus conditions may promote extensive recrystallization an aqueous vapor phase does not appear to be necessary for the generation of most of the salient characteristics of pegmatites