Experimental investigation of Ostwald-ripening rates of forsterite in the haplobasaltic system

Abstract

The rate of Ostwald ripening of forsterite is experimentally measured in a haplobasaltic melt (SiO 2–Al 2O 3–CaO–MgO). The goal of the experiments is to determine if the rate of Ostwald ripening is sufficient to affect textural development in crystallizing magmas of a basaltic composition. With preequilibrated charges, experiments were run isothermally so that all textural changes could be ascribed to Ostwald ripening. An increase of crystal size from 3.5 μm to 14 μm (in average) has been observed during 10 days. Glass compositions were identical in all charges, indicating that the observed increase in average crystal size is not the results of chemical disequilibrium but the results of Ostwald ripening. Due to the constraints on experimental duration, the rate-limiting process (i.e., diffusion control or reaction control) could not be determined. Our experimental results, however, demonstrate that the rate of Ostwald ripening in basaltic rocks is sufficient to be of fundamental importance in the development of textures in igneous rocks. These results strongly suggest that Ostwald ripening, as well as nucleation and crystal growth, should be considered in analyses of textures in igneous rocks.