Low Albite Research Articles

First occurrence of dumortierite in Croatia: its chemical composition and appearance as an igneous mineral in leucogranite-hosted pegmatite

In this article, dumortierite from Croatia is described for the first time. Dumortierite formed in a pegmatite dyke cutting through Cretaceous two-mica leucogranite of the magmatic-metamorphic complex of Mt. Moslavačka Gora. The pegmatite dyke shows a magmatic mineral association of coarse-grained quartz, orthoclase, microcline and albite, less abundant muscovite, biotite, pinkish andalusite and blue-coloured prismatic dumortierite I crystals. Subsequent alteration by titanium-rich hydrothermal fluids led to partial replacement of dumortierite I and andalusite by secondary fibrous to acicular purple dumortierite II enriched in Mg and Ti. During temperature decrease perthite developed in feldspars and at a still later stage, sericite partially replaced not only feldspars but also andalusite and both types of dumortierite along grain boundaries and cracks. Final alteration at very low temperatures caused formation of clay minerals at the expense of feldspars. According to mineral chemical analyses, the feldspars are represented by albite and K-feldspar with a low albite component. Biotite corresponds to annite and its subhedral shape and chemical composition point to magmatic crystallisation from a peraluminous melt derived from a crustal source. Coarse muscovite flakes contain 1.31-1.48 wt.% FeO and 0.56-0.70 wt.% TiO2. Their Na/(Na+K) ratios (0.08–0.09) prove a magmatic origin, whereas lower ratios in sericite (0.04–0.06) indicate formation during retrogression. Magmatic muscovite is in textural equilibrium with andalusite, also implying an igneous origin for the latter, which belongs to the S3 textural type of andalusite in felsic igneous rocks. Electron microprobe analyses clearly show a strong positive correlation between Si tetrahedral deficiency (3-Si) and the sum of Al+Ti, (R2= 0.85) in both types of dumortierite, implying Al replacement by Ti. However, Al replacement by Ti is not restricted to Al in the octahedral position, as generally accepted, but most probably also in the tetrahedral position. Distinct pleochroic colours in dumortierite are usually explained by the [Fe/(Fe+Ti)]x100 factor, but according to this study, elevated Mg contents stabilize red to violet coloured dumortierite at higher [Fe/(Fe+Ti)] x100 factors than those previously suggested.

Microtextural, spectroscopic, and chemical characterization of amazonite from the Serra Branca Pegmatite, Northeastern Brazil

The Serra Branca pegmatite in northeastern Brazil is unique because of its megacrysts of bluish-green amazonite currently exploited for ornamental purposes and as high-quality gemstones. Here we analyze microtextural, spectroscopic, and geochemical data on specimens from two magmatic generations of amazonite from this pegmatite in order to characterize their mineralogy and propose a schematic evolution diagram for twinning during their development. The amazonite consists of intergrowths of the low microcline and low albite XRD varieties that evolved according to a twin coarsening process, in which the first generation (I-tg) of ± A/P twinning developed at the monoclinic-triclinic transformation, whereas the second generation (II-tg) gave rise mainly to ± A twins. The bluish-green color of the amazonite was preserved during the process of microcline twinning. In addition to the irrational II-tg twinning, which is typically found in microcline from anorogenic settings, the serra branca amazonite crystals also show elevated contents of Rb, Pb, Fe, Cs, and Tl in both generations, whereas albitic intergrowths present high concentrations of Fe, Pb, Sr, and Ga. Finally, our chemical and spectroscopic results are compatible with the hypothesis that Pb-water centers account for the bluish green color in amazonite.

Experimental study on soda granites of the Singhbhum Craton, eastern India, and its petrogenetic significance

The soda granite (~Paleoproterozoic) of the Singhbhum Craton (SC) of eastern India occurs along the entire stretch of the Singhbhum Shear Zone (SSZ; or Copper Belt Thrust Zone). The SSZ (marking a thrust contact between the adjacent North Singhbhum mobile belt and SC) serves as the important locale to host apatite‐magnetite, copper sulphide, and uraniferous mineralization. Typical field occurrence of soda granite is either as tongues (or patches) within a shear zone or as lit‐per‐lit style injections into surrounding country rocks which are generally highly sheared and mylonitized. Experimental studies on granite bodies can potentially throw light on their mineralogical and petrogenetic aspects; however, these studies are hitherto unreported in case of soda granites for almost the last 60 years. In this view, during the present research, experimental studies on soda granites have been carried out and these decipher the nature of the stability relationship of K‐feldspar (and transgression to more disordered anorthoclase), amphibole (both Ca‐amphibole and Fe–Mg–Mn amphibole and breaking down of Ca‐amphibole to Fe–Mg–Mn amphibole + non‐quad pyroxene + quartz at an appropriate temperature), biotite, muscovite, and albite (high albite‐ low albite displacive transformation). Whole‐rock chemistry (deduced from homogenized glass compositions) indicates its peraluminous, S‐type nature with an affinity towards Caledonian post‐collisional plutons. Characteristic geochemical plots suggest a pelitic source material for melting (and subsequent internal differentiation of the melt) and this has given rise to both migmatite as well as patchy soda granite exposures in the field. It is suggested that partial melting of mainly metapelitic (and minor mafic magmatic rocks) source (belonging to Singhbhum Series) gave rise to soda granites in this region.

The Zebra granitic pegmatite, San Luis, Argentina

ABSTRACT We describe an unusual example of rhythmically layered peraluminous granitic pegmatite locally developed in the intragranitic Potrerillos NYF pegmatites derived from the A-type host granites of the Las Chacras–Potrerillos batholith, Sierra de San Luis, Argentina. The strikingly rhythmic layers in the Zebra pegmatite consist of units of albite–K-feldspar–quartz–K-feldspar–albite, with accessory tourmaline and minor muscovite. The layers crystallized from a boron-bearing melt ponded and thermally insulated in the intermediate zone. A layer of low albite 1–2 cm thick was followed by coarser-grained K-feldspar, then well-ordered microcline, which gives way to quartz grains, also coarser-grained, in optical continuity. Zoned prismatic crystals of schorl nucleated in the feldspathic layer in random orientation. Muscovite is scarce. The rock has a granitic composition enriched in Rb, Cs, and B, and is depleted in the rare-earth elements compared to its precursor. We contend that the normative composition, 35.3% Or, 38.1% Ab, and 21.3% Q, was close to the eutectic in the granite system modified by dissolved H2O, F, and B, at a P(H2O) close to 3.5 kbar and a temperature in the range 575–600 °C. Repeated incursions from the field of Ab + Or to the field of quartz and back again as the melt was producing bubbles of H2O can account for the rhythmic crystallization and the local truncation or merging of the feldspathic layers. Occasional larger crystals of K-feldspar may have become detached from the wall or roof of the chamber.

Ab initio compressibility of metastable low albite: revealing a lambda-type singularity at pressures of the Earth’s upper mantle

The elastic behavior of low albite is investigated ab initio under hydrostatic pressure up to 16 GPa. Our calculations complement and extend previous studies confirming a highly anisotropic character of the feldspar cell compression and, more importantly, revealing a clear change of all structure deformation trends around 8–9 GPa pressure. We correlate this change to the trend of the bulk modulus of low albite as a function of pressure, which we compute in different and independent ways using (1) the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state, (2) the analytical Voigt–Reuss–Hill averaging scheme of calculated elastic constants, and (3) a pressure–volume numerical differentiation procedure. The latter, in particular, uncovers a singularity in the bulk modulus between 8 and 9 GPa pressure which is evocative of a $$\lambda$$ -type critical point. We find that the same behavior emerges when comparing with pressure–volume datasets from the experimental literature, where it has been so far overlooked due to the misleading use of a fourth-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state. Indeed, we show that the equation of state must be extended up to at least the sixth power of the Eulerian strain to approximate the complex elastic behavior of feldspars. The low albite structure softens under increasing pressure between 5 and 8 GPa, as a result of the initiation of auxiliary compression mechanisms—notably, the squeezing of the crankshaft chains along b—and then abruptly resumes a stiffening trend in association with a displacive transformation of the O–O pair interactions. Whether this is an isosymmetric phase transition or a supercritical crossover, it suggests a compatibility with seismological profiles indicating a low wave-velocity anomaly in correspondence of the upper portion of the subducting Pacific plate and the disappearance of such anomaly at greater depths, assuming the alkali feldspar survives as a metastable phase. The data and methodology described here can enable the exploration of important, potentially overlooked features in other minerals, and inspire future high-pressure research in mineral physics.

Na-feldspar: temperature, pressure and the state of order

Abstract. In feldspars, mean tetrahedral T–O bond lengths (T = Al,Si) are the standard measure of the tetrahedral Al content. However, for a sophisticated assessment of the Al,Si distribution, factors have to be accounted for (1) that cause individual T–O bond lengths to deviate from their tetrahedral means and (2) that cause mean tetrahedral lengths to deviate from values specified by the Al content. We investigated low albite, Na[AlSi3O8], from six X-ray crystal structure refinements available in the literature. The Al,Si distribution of low albite is fully ordered so that Al,Si–O bond length variations result only from bond perturbing factors. For the intra-tetrahedral variation ΔT–O≡T–O-〈T–O〉, only two factors turned out to be effective: (1) the sum of bond critical point electron densities in the Na–O and T–O bonds neighbouring the T–O bond under consideration and (2) the fractional s-bond character of the bridging oxygen atom. This model resulted in a root mean square (rms) value for ΔT–O of only 0.002 Å, comparable to the estimated standard deviations (esd's) routinely quoted in X-ray and neutron structure refinements. In the second step, the inter-tetrahedral differences Δ〈T–O〉≡〈T–O〉-〈〈T–O〉〉 were considered. Here, apart from the tetrahedral Al content, the only size-perturbing factor is the difference between the tetrahedral and the grand mean fractional s-characters. The resulting rms value was as small as 0.0003 Å. From this analysis, Al site occupancies, t, can be derived from observed mean tetrahedral distances, 〈T–O〉obs, as t=0.25(1+nAn)+〈T–O〉adj-〈〈T–O〉〉/0.12466(17), with the observed distance 〈T–O〉obs adjusted for the influence of the fractional s-character, 〈T–O〉adj=〈T–O〉obs+0.1907(51)[〈fs(O)〉-〈〈fs(O)〉〉]. This equation served to determine the site occupancies of 16 intermediate to high albites and one analbite from their mean tetrahedral distances. It was found that the individual site occupancies t10, t1m and t20= t2m all vary linearly with the difference Δt1= t10− t1m. Δt1, in turn, varies linearly with the length difference, Δtr[110], between the unit cell repeat distances [1∕2a, 1∕2b, 0] and [1∕2a, -1/2b, 0]. Then, from the Δtr[110] indicator, values of t were obtained as t10=(1-b0)+b0(b1+b2Δtr[110])t1m=(1-b0)-(1-b0)(b1+b2Δtr[110])t20=t2m=(b0-0.5)-(b0-0.5)(b1+b2Δtr[110]), with b0=0.7288(16), b1=0.1103(59) and b2=3.234(32) Å−1. Finally, from an expression that converts the Δ2θ(131) measure of order into Δtr[110] and thus into site occupancies, it was possible to obtain from the unique suite of bracketed high-pressure experiments performed on albites by Goldsmith and Jenkins (1985) the evolution with equilibrium temperature of the thermodynamic order parameter Qod and of the individual Al site occupancies t at a pressure of 1 bar. For that purpose, since the Goldsmith and Jenkins experiments were performed at ≈18 kbar, a procedure was devised that accounts for the effect of pressure on the state of order. At 1 bar, low albite is stable up to 590 ∘C, where it begins to disorder, turning into high albite above 720 ∘C. The highly though not fully disordered monoclinic state (monalbite) is reached at 980 ∘C, 1 bar, and 1055 ∘C, 18 kbar, respectively. Eventually, when applying the determinative equations given above to low microcline, full order is predicted as in low albite.

Experimental investigation of phase relations in the system NaAlSi3O8–H2O at high temperatures and pressures: liquidus relations, liquid–vapor mixing, and critical phenomena at deep crust–upper mantle conditions

Supercritical fluids in rock–H2O systems have been proposed to be important agents of mass transfer in subduction zone environments. New experimental studies were conducted on the simple model granite system NaAlSi3O8 (Ab)–H2O in order to investigate phase relations and to develop the thermodynamic mixing properties between aqueous fluid (a.k.a. vapor, V) and silicate melt (a.k.a. liquid, L) at pressures (P) and temperatures (T) approaching those of critical mixing. We established liquidus and solvus phase relations by analyzing the quenched run products from piston–cylinder experiments over a range of $$P - T - X_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}$$ conditions from 1.0 to 1.7 GPa, 630–1060 °C and 4–92 wt% H2O. Equations for the critical curve, solidus temperatures, albite solubility at the solidus, and vapor-saturated solidus H2O content were formulated as functions of $$P - T - X_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}$$ . We constructed a subregular solution model to describe the solvus curves using P and T dependent Margules coefficients ( $$W_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}$$ and $$W_{\text{Ab}}$$ ). Activities of H2O and Ab ( $$a_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}$$ and $$a_{\text{Ab}}$$ ) could be formulated using only the input at the solidus and the critical point at each pressure because of the nearly linear dependence of the parameters on T. The solvus curves were confirmed independently by means of criteria established for classification of quenched products as L, L + V, or V and are in excellent agreement with the compositions that can be calculated using the Margules coefficients. At 1.6 GPa, the H2O content at the vapor-saturated solidus is 44.5 ± 5.5 wt% and the solubility of albite at the solidus is 42.95 ± 0.99 wt%, indicating the imminent intersection of the two curves and thus a stable critical endpoint at some slightly higher pressure. We constrain the critical endpoint at 1.63 ± 0.02 GPa, 659 ± 5 °C, and a composition of ~ 44.7 wt% H2O based on the intersections of the pressure dependent solidus curves with the critical curve, the pressure dependent albite solubility curve with the vapor-saturated solidus curve. The 1.7 GPa experiments showed no evidence for liquid–vapor immiscibility across a wide range of compositions and temperatures (4–80 wt% H2O and 630–1050 °C, and furthermore, that low albite is stable in the presence of the supercritical fluid near the breakdown of albite to jadeite and quartz. These results provide a comprehensive account of the solution properties of subcritical and supercritical fluids in this model granite system at temperatures and pressures corresponding to the deep-crust regions of granite magma generation.

Disclinations and disconnections in minerals and metals

A different type of defect, the coherency disclination, is added to disclination types. Disconnections that include disclination content are considered. A criterion is suggested to distinguish disconnections with dislocation content from those with disclination content. Electron microscopy reveals unit disconnections in a low albite grain boundary, defects important in grain boundary sliding. Disconnections of varying step heights are displayed and shown to define both deformed and recovered structures.

Structural features of gem minerals and identification and evaluation

Gem has long been chased because of its cultural and historical significance and beauty, and the identification and evaluation of its structural features have also been paid attention to. Plum blossom jade and emerald were identified and analyzed by means of the conventional detection method, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The results showed that plum blossom jade with black and brown background and red, white and brown amygdaloid body spots had a diameter of 1-10 mm, a relative density of 2.69-2.75 g/cm3 and a refractive index of 1.52-1.55, and its minerals contained water molecules, quartz, low albite, anorthoclase and andesite. It was observed that emerald was green, greasy, glassy, transparent, with a relative density of 2.66-2.78 g/cm3 and 1.58 refractive index, and its minerals contained water molecules; there were two kinds of arrangement in crystal channels. The main mineral component of emerald was beryl, and its purity was high.

The effects of calcium oxide on fluorapatite crystal morphology and mechanical property of functional glass-ceramics

The roles of calcium oxide on fluorapatite crystal morphology, crystallization kinetics behavior and mechanical property of functional glass-ceramics in the SiO2-Al2O3-K2O-CaO-P2O5 system were investigated. Glass compositions with calcium oxide content (in wt%) of (1) 3.8, (2) 4.2, (3) 5.3, (4) 6.0, and (5) 6.9 were fabricated by sintering method. Different heat treatments were carried out at the temperature of 930 °C for 30 min, 1100 °C for 30 min and 1100 °C for 120 min, respectively. The results showed that the length of fluorapatite crystal increased with temperature and heating time, however, the length increased firstly and then decreased dramatically with the increase of calcium oxide content. Meanwhile, the minor crystalline phase changed from low albite to anorthite. The microhardness was also influenced by different crystal morphologies. The results revealed that it was possible to control crystalline phase and mechanical property of fluorapatite glass-ceramics by changing calcium oxide content and heat treatment regime.

Mineral shock signatures in rocks from Dhala (Mohar) impact structure, Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh, India

A concrete study combining optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry, was carried out on subsurface samples of basement granite and melt breccia from Mohar (Dhala) impact structure, Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh, India. Optical microscopy reveals aberrations in the optical properties of quartz and feldspar in the form of planar deformation feature-like structures, lowered birefringence and mosaics in quartz, toasting, planar fractures and ladder texture in alkali feldspar and near-isotropism in bytownite. It also brings to light incidence of parisite, a radioactive rare mineral in shocked granite. Raman spectral pattern, peak positions, peak widths and multiplicity of peak groups of all minerals, suggest subtle structural/crystallographic deviations. XRD data further reveals minute deviations of unit cell parameters of quartz, alkali feldspar and plagioclase, with respect to standard \({\upalpha }\)-quartz, high- and low albite and microcline. Reduced cell volumes in these minerals indicate compression due to pressure. The \(\hbox {c}_{0}/\hbox {a}_{0}\) values indicate an inter-tetrahedral angle roughly between \(120^{\mathrm{o}}\) and \(144^{\mathrm{o}}\), further pointing to a possible pressure maxima of around 12 GPa. The observed unit cell aberration of minerals may indicate an intermediate stage between crystalline and amorphous stages, thereby, signifying possible overprinting of decompression signatures over shock compression effects, from a shock recovery process.

High-pressure Raman spectroscopy on low albite

The pressure dependence of the Raman spectrum of low albite, NaAlSi3O8, has been investigated from 0.0001 to 10.4 GPa, at room temperature, on a single crystal compressed hydrostatically in a diamond anvil cell. The Raman vibrational features move to higher wavenumbers υ i with increasing pressure, due to the decrease in the unit-cell volume corresponding to a drastic shrinkage of the framework. The slopes Δυ i/ΔP of the four investigated bending modes (i.e. at 478, 507, 578 and 815 cm−1, at 0.0001 GPa) show evident changes at ~6.5 and ~8.5 GPa. This behaviour may be ascribed, in the absence of phase transitions, to the evolution of the compressional mechanisms at the atomic scale found in previous high-pressure studies on albite (mainly by X-ray diffraction), through a model based on tilts of rigid tetrahedra. The Raman data of this study allowed also to bracket the pressure range in which the occurrence of the first change in the compressional behaviour was found by X-ray diffraction.

Hydrous albite magmas at lower crustal pressure: new results on liquidus H2O content, solubility, and H2O activity in the system NaAlSi3O8–H2O–NaCl at 1.0 GPa

The system albite–H2O serves as an important model for the generation of granitic magmas, yet relatively few experimental investigations have focused on phase relations at high pressure. This study reports new experimental results, at 1.0 GPa and 690–1050 °C, on the temperature and liquid composition at vapor-saturated melting, the H2O content of undersaturated silicate liquids in equilibrium with albite, the solubility of albite in H2O–NaCl fluids immediately below the solidus, and the activity of H2O in hydrous NaAlSi3O8 liquids along the liquidus. Albite melts and dissolves congruently at all temperatures and salinities. In the NaCl-absent system, the temperature of vapor-saturated melting of low albite, confirmed by X-ray diffraction, is 695 ± 5 °C and the liquid composition is 18.14 ± 1.35 wt% H2O. The temperature dependence of the fluid-undersaturated liquidus curve in the system NaAlSi3O8–H2O varies with H2O wt% (\(w_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}\)) according to $$T = - 2.0331 \times 10^{ - 3} w_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{3} + 1.6497w_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{2} {-} 58.963w_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}} + 1235.5\,^{ \circ } {\text{C}}$$ indicating positive curvature in temperature-composition coordinates and a dry melting temperature of ~1235 °C. At 690 °C, immediately below the solidus, albite solubility decreases drastically with NaCl content of the fluid phase, from 8.8 ± 0.6 wt% in the NaCl-free fluid to ˂2 % at NaCl concentration of only 10 mol%. Experiments determining the activity of H2O (\(a_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}\)) in liquids at vapor-saturated melting exploited low Cl solubility in liquids and low albite solubility in the presence of H2O–NaCl fluids. The maximum Cl content of quenched glasses, only 0.95 wt%, and very low albite solubility together make possible H2O activity measurement in melts equilibrated with NaCl–H2O solutions. When combined with activity data for H2O–NaCl fluids, experimentally determined \(a_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}\) along the liquidus is described by $$T = - {469.16a_{{H_{2} O}}^{L}}^{{\frac{1}{2}}} {-} 93.382a_{{H_{2} O}}^{L} + 1235.5\;^\circ C.$$ At 1 GPa, H2O activities in hydrous albitic melts in H2O–NaCl fluids agree with those in the presence of H2O–CO2 fluids, provided appropriate fluid mixing data are used. Our results constrain an asymmetric regular solution model for the mixing of Na1/8Al1/8Si3/8O and H2O, yielding Margules parameters of W Ab = 25.56 ± 0.54 and \(W_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}} = \, 10.50\; \pm \;0.74{\text{ kJ}}/{\text{mol}}\). The results imply critical mixing of liquid and vapor at ~1100 °C. Using existing speciation models, our results imply that H2O dissolved in hydrous albitic liquids is almost entirely in the form of molecular H2O (OH− concentration is negligible) at temperatures near vapor-saturated melting. The results provide a more complete experimental foundation for modeling the system NaAlSi3O8–H2O at high pressure.

A comparison between ab initio calculated and measured Raman spectrum of triclinic albite (NaAlSi3O8)

Albite is one of the most common minerals in the Earth's crust, and its polymorphs can be found in rocks with different cooling histories. The characteristic spectrum of vibration of the albite mineral reflects its structural Si/Al ordering. In this study, we report on the comparison between the Raman spectra measured on a natural and fully ordered (as deduced on the basis of single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction data) ‘low albite’, NaAlSi3O8, and those calculated at the hybrid Hartree–Fock/density functional theory level by employing the WC1LYP Hamiltonian, which has proven to give excellent agreement between calculated and experimentally measured vibrational wavenumbers in silicate minerals. All the 39 expected Ag modes are identified in the Raman spectra, and their wavenumbers and intensities, in different scattering configurations, correspond well to the calculated ones. The average absolute discrepancy is ~3.4 cm−1, being the maximum discrepancy |Δv|max ~ 10.3 cm−1. The very good quality of the WC1LYP results allows for reliable assignments of the Raman features to specific patterns of atomic vibrational motion. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Direct observation of Ca-Na ordering and structure polarity in Ca-rich intermediate plagioclase feldspar with incommensurate modulated structure

Ca-Na ordering and structural polarity of subcells in an intermediate plagioclase with modulated structure have been observed using Z-contrast imaging with an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope. Neighboring lamellar domains with I 1 symmetry are related by inversion twin operation, instead of anti-phase domain boundaries (or APBs) as in all previously reported structure models. The boundaries between lamellar domains have I 1 symmetry instead of C 1 symmetry. Modulated plagioclase has unique Ca-Na and Al-Si ordering structure that is different from those in end-member structures of anorthite and low albite. The modulated structures of intermediate plagioclase are not metastable structures formed during phase transition, but instead thermodynamically stable structures at low temperature due to Ca-Na ordering within the subcells with I 1 symmetry.

Thermochemistry of the alkali feldspars: Calorimetric study of the entropy relations in the low albite-low microcline series

New heat capacity data obtained on 12 samples of the low albite–low microcline series are presented. They were measured by relaxation and differential scanning calorimetry between 5 and 773 K. Two series, differing in their starting materials, were investigated, both of which were prepared via molten salt and solid-solid ion-exchange techniques in previous studies. The heat capacity of both series deviates positively from the ideal behavior leading to positive excess vibrational entropies of mixing, which can be described by a Margules mixing model yielding W S AbOr = 8.60 and W S OrAb = 9.28 J/(mol·K). The heat capacity and the vibrational entropy obtained on these Al,Si ordered samples are compared with those described in the literature for disordered samples. The solvi of the Al,Si ordered and disordered alkali feldspar systems were calculated from the calorimetric data and compared to experimentally determined solvi. Large deviations are detected for the ordered system, whereas consistent results are found for the disordered system, provided Na,K clustering is taken into account.

Molecular dynamics simulation of albite twinning and pericline twinning in low albite

Two twinning laws, the albite law and the pericline law, are the predominant growth twinning modes in triclinic plagioclase feldspars such as low albite, NaAlSi3O8, in which the aluminum and silicon atoms are in an ordered arrangement on the tetrahedral sites of the aluminosilicate framework. In the terminology used formally to describe deformation twinning in a triclinic lattice, these twin laws can be described as Type I and Type II twin laws, respectively, with the pericline twin law being conjugate to the albite twin law. In this study, twin boundaries have been constructed for low albite according to these two twinning laws and studied by molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that suitably constructed twin boundary models are quite stable for both albite twinning and pericline twinning during molecular dynamics simulation. The calculated twin boundary energy of an albite twin is significantly lower than that of a pericline twin, in accord with the experimental observation that albite twinning is the more commonly observed mode seen in plagioclase feldspars. The results of the molecular dynamics simulations also agree with conclusions from the prior work of Starkey that glide twinning in low albite is not favoured energetically.

Electrical conductivity of albite at high temperatures and high pressures

The electrical conductivity of low albite has been measured using a complex impedance spectroscopic technique at 1.0–3.0 GPa and 773–1073 K in the frequency range of 10 −1 to 10 6 Hz in a YJ-3000t multi-anvil press. Within this frequency range, the complex impedance plane displays a semi-circular arc that represents a grain interior conduction mechanism. The electrical conductivity of albite increases with increasing temperature, and the relationship between electrical conductivity and temperature fits the Arrhenius formula. Pressure has a weak effect on the electrical conductivity of albite in the experimental pressure-temperature ( P - T ) range in the present work. The pre-exponential factors decrease, and the activation enthalpy increases slightly with increasing pressure. The activation energy and activation volume of albite are 0.82 ± 0.04 eV and 1.45 ± 0.28 cm 3 /mol, respectively. Comparison with previous results with respect to albite indicates that our data are similar to previous data within the same temperature range. The dominant conduction mechanism in albite is suggested to be ionic conduction, where loosely bonded sodium cations, the dominant charge carriers, migrate into interstitial sites within the feldspar aluminosilicate framework. The Na diffusivity inferred from electrical conductivity of albite in this study using the Nernst-Einstein relation is consistent with that of previous studies on natural albite.

High-pressure structural evolution and equation of state of analbite

The volume and unit-cell parameters of analbite (i.e., NaAlSi 3 O 8 with complete Al,Si disorder) have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to a maximum pressure of ~8.71 GPa. The volume variation with pressure is described by a fourth-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state with K 0T = 50.3(5) GPa, K 0 ′ = 8.9(5), and K 0 ″ = −2.4(3) GPa −1 . The value of the room-pressure bulk modulus is ~4% lower than that of low albite, and the onset of volume softening in analbite is at ~6.7 GPa, some 1.7 GPa higher than the onset in albite. The anisotropy of compression of analbite is less than that in albite. Single-crystal structure determinations of analbite to ~9.4 GPa show that there is no significant detectable compression of the T-O bonds within the structure, and the compression of the framework of tetrahedra is therefore accommodated by changes in the T-O-T angles, which result in significant compression of the “crankshaft chains” within the framework. No significant shear of the tetrahedral rings of analbite was detected, in contrast to the structural compression of albite. Overall, the structural changes that occur in analbite from 0.0001 to 9.4 GPa resemble those seen in ordered albite over the pressure range 0.0001–4 GPa. Therefore analbite shows a significantly greater structural rigidity than low albite up to pressures of 9.4 GPa.

Premelting polymerization of crustal and mantle fluids, as indicated by the solubility of albite + paragonite + quartz in H 2O at 1 GPa and 350–620 °C

The composition and structure of dissolved silicates in model crustal and upper-mantle fluids was assessed by measuring the solubility of the assemblage albite + paragonite + quartz in H 2O from 350 to 620 °C, at 1 GPa. Natural, low albite and quartz were equilibrated with H 2O; paragonite grew in all experiments due to incongruent dissolution of albite + quartz. Melting occurred at 635 ± 5 °C. Solute concentrations at subsolidus conditions were determined by analysis of quenched fluids or mineral weight-loss and mass balance. Bulk solubility of the mineral assemblage increased from ∼ 1 to ∼ 8 oxide wt.% with rising temperature. Si, Al, and Na all increase in concert. The solutions were slightly peralkaline, and possess Si/(Na + Al) ≫ 1.5 (molar) at all conditions studied. Extrapolated thermodynamic data were used to predict solubility at the conditions investigated experimentally. Calculated solubility agreed with that measured from 350 to ∼ 500 °C; however, above 500 °C, the calculations underpredict solubility to an increasing degree as the hydrothermal melting point is approached. The excess measured solubility points to increasing abundance of aqueous Si, Al–Si, and Na–Al–Si polymers. Polymerized solutes predominate in all near-solidus solutions, rising to > 80% of total dissolved solids at the melting point. The observations support a conceptual model in which, as the temperature of the system rises isobarically at 1 GPa, the silicate components dissolved in the aqueous phase begin to polymerize significantly within ∼ 100 °C of the melting point. The polymerized solutes may facilitate condensation of more polymerized hydrous silicate liquid at the hydrothermal melting point. From the perspective of isobaric cooling, the fluid crossing the solidus retains Na–Al–Si–O clusters or fragments that are less polymerized than those which comprised the melt, but more polymerized than has previously been inferred for the aqueous phase. The high concentrations of Na, Al, and Si in the form of polymeric clusters will yield substantial mass transfer by near-solidus metamorphic and magmatic fluids in the crust and mantle, and likely promote dissolution, transport and precipitation of nominally insoluble, refractory rock components.