Interdiffusion of Na, K, and Ca between granitic melts and NaCl liquid

Abstract

This study is aimed at determining the diffusion coefficient of net-work modifiers (mainly Na, K, and Ca) in a two-phase melt-NaCl system, in which the melts are granitic and the system is NaCl-rich in composition. The diffusion coefficients of Na, K, and Ca were measured at the temperatures of 750 – 1400°C, pressures of 0.001 × 108 – 2 × 108 Pa, and initial H2O contents of 0 wt% –6.9 wt% in the granitic melts. The diffusion coefficients of Fe and Mg were difficult to resolve. In all experiments a NaCl melt was present as well. In the absence of H2O, the diffusion of net-work modifiers follows an Arrhanious equation at 1 × 105 Pa: lgDca=−3. 88−5140/T, lgDk =−3. 79−4040/T, and lgDNa, =−4.99−3350/T, where D is in cm2 /s andT is in K. The diffusion coefficients of Ca, Na, K, and Fe increase non-linearly with increasing H2O content in the melt. The presence of about 2 wt% H2O m the melt will lead to a dramatical increase in diffusivity, but higher H2O content has only a minor effect. This change is probably the result of a change in the melt structure when H2O is present. The diffusion coefficients measured in this study are significantly different from those in previous works. This may be understood in terms of the “transient two-liquid equilibrium” theory. Element interdiffusion depends not only on its concentration, but also on its activity co-efficient gradient, which is reflected by the distribution coefficient, of the two contacting melts.