Abstract
Dehydration (vapour absent) partial melting reactions in the Earth's crust produce a hydrous granitic melt phase, new anhydrous minerals that are mostly pyroxenes, and new plagioclase more calcic than the initial plagioclase. These solid phases of the melt reaction are restite. If the restite is carried to high levels in the crust as a component of the magma, cooling and crystallisation to granite will result in back reactions in which the H2O in the melt phase is consumed and is not then available to form a hydrothermal solution. Even in magmas in which some restite has been removed there will be some back reaction and again less H2O. Only fractional crystallisation will enrich the H2O in the magma in sufficient amounts to form a substantial quantity of hydrothermal solution and possible mineralisation.
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