Melting Of Domains Research Articles

Apatite Textures, Elemental and Isotopic Compositions Unmask the Homogenizing Process in Silicic Magma Chambers

AbstractSilicic magmas are the most viscous of all magmas, however some granitic plutons display remarkably homogeneous compositions, which contradicts the hypothesis that mechanical mixing is the main homogenizing process in the magma chamber. Thus much remains controversial about the mechanisms responsible for the homogeneities of silicic plutons. Here, we present textural observations, elemental mapping, and in situ elemental and Nd‐O isotopic data of apatites from the compositionally homogeneous Late Permian Yuanyang A‐type granitic pluton (SW Yunnan, South China). Apatite grains display oscillatory chemical zonation and resorption‐precipitation texture, suggesting incremental growth dominated by co‐genetic magma batches injection. The intra‐/inter‐grain core to rim elemental and Nd‐O isotopic variations imply crystal transfer and crystallization from different melt domains within the crystal mush. We propose that rejuvenation events associated with hotter cogenetic intermediate magma batch injection has induced crystal mush reactivation and convective stirring in silicic magma chambers, thereby homogenizing the entire reservoir.

Low-Temperature Specific Heat Capacity of Water-Ammonia Mixtures Down to the Eutectic.

Robust thermodynamic data are essential for the development of geodynamic and geochemical models of ocean worlds. The water-ammonia system is of interest in the study of ocean worlds due to its purported abundance in the outer solar system, geological implications, and potential importance for origins of life. In support of developing new equations of state, we conducted 1 bar specific heat capacity measurements (Cp) using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) at low temperatures (184-314 K) and low mass fractions of ammonia (5.2-26.9 wt %) to provide novel data in the parameter space most relevant for planetary studies. This is the first known set of data with sufficient fidelity to investigate the trend of specific heat capacity with respect to temperature. The obtained Cp in the liquid phase domain above the liquidus generally increases with temperature. Deviations of our data from the currently adopted equation of state by Tillner-Roth and Friend[Tillner-Roth R.; Friend D. G.J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data1998, 27, 63-96]. are generally negative (ranging from +1 to -10%) and larger at lower temperatures. This result suggests that suppression of the critical behavior of supercooled water (rapid increase in specific heat with decreasing temperature) by ammonia starts at a smaller concentration than that set by Tillner-Roth and Friend.[Tillner-Roth R.; Friend D. G.J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data1998, 27, 63-96]. Cp measurements of the liquid were also obtained in the partial melting domain between the eutectic and liquidus. This novel data set will be useful in future investigations of conditions where such partial melt may exist, such as the ice shell-ocean boundary or the interiors of ocean worlds that may contain relatively large proportions of dissolved ammonia.

The Platinum-Group Minerals of the River Ko Watershed, Sisim Placer Zone, Eastern Sayans, Russia, and the Differentiation of Multicomponent Melts

Abstract The textures and chemical compositions (based on the results of over 1000 analyses) of a suite of platinum-group minerals obtained from concentrates collected along the River Ko watershed in the Sisim placer zone, Eastern Sayans, Russia, have been analyzed and described. Detrital grains of Ir–Os alloy, considered to have been derived from the Lysanskiy layered ultrabasic complex, are interpreted to be domains of melt in the interstices of olivine–chromian spinel cumulates. This melt fractionated before crystallization of the alloys; some domains show a core-to-rim enrichment in Ir. The incompatible behavior of lithophile elements, base metals, S, semimetals, and H2O in the melt now represented by the alloy led to the crystallization of a broad range of ore minerals in multicomponent globules of residual melt. In this way, laurite and cuproiridsite developed in the melt and now are in a symplectitic intergrowth with the alloy. A spherule of laurite with a core of anthophyllite-rich amphibole and a mantle of irarsite shows that H2O and lithophile components were also present in the PGE-rich melt. Rhodium-rich pentlandite-related minerals, likely including oberthürite, postdate the crystallization of laurite; these may be Ru-enriched and may contain lamellar grains of torryweiserite or ferrotorryweiserite, both of which may represent exsolution products. These two species, and the related kuvaevite, which locally replace the Rh-rich pentlandite-related minerals, appear to be paragenetically later. The new data provide valuable insight on the evolution of late, multicomponent melts in basic–ultrabasic complexes.

Physics-informed deep learning of gas flow-melt pool multi-physical dynamics during powder bed fusion

The effect of inert gas on melt pool dynamics has been largely overlooked but is crucial for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Physics-based simulation models are computationally expensive while data-driven models lack transparency and need massive training data. This work presents a physics-informed deep learning (PIDL) model to accurately predict the temperature and velocity fields in the melting domain using only a small training data. The PIDL model can also learn unknown model constants (e.g., Reynolds number and Peclet number) of the governing equations. Furthermore, the robust PIDL algorithm converges very fast by enforcing physics via soft penalty constraints.

Consequences of Radiothermal Ageing on the Crystalline Morphology of Additive-Free Silane-Crosslinked Polyethylene.

The radiothermal ageing of silane-crosslinked low-density PE (Si-XLPE) films was studied in the air under three different dose rates (8.5, 77.8, and 400 Gy·h−1) at a low temperature close to ambient (47, 47, and 21 °C, respectively). Changes in crystalline morphology were investigated using a multi-technique approach based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide- (WAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and density measurements. In particular, the changes in four structural variables were accurately monitored during radiothermal ageing: crystallinity ratio (), crystalline lamellae thickness (), long period (), and interlamellar spacing (). Concerning the changes in , a perfect agreement was found between DSC and WAXS experiments. Successive sequences of self-nucleation and annealing (SSA) were also performed on aged Si-XLPE samples in the DSC chamber in order to assess the thickness distribution of crystalline lamellae. This method allowed the thermally splitting of the melting domain of Si-XLPE into a series of elementary melting peaks, with each one characterised by a distinct thickness of crystalline lamellae. DSC (used with the SSA method) showed a slight increase in during the oxidation of Si-XLPE, while SAXS confirmed a catastrophic decrease in . The critical value of the interlamellar spacing characterising the ductile/brittle transition of Si-XLPE was found to be of the same order of magnitude as that for linear polyethylene ( nm). This structural end-of-life criterion can now be used for predicting the lifetime of Si-XLPE in a nuclear environment.

Binary alloy solidification and freckle formation: Effect of shrinkage induced flow on solutal instability and macro-segregation

Freckle formation during directional solidification of binary alloy is a well-researched subject area. However, the influence of shrinkage induced flow (SIF) on freckling phenomena is barely reported. The focus of this work is to investigate this effect during bottom-up solidification of binary alloys. A fixed grid-based numerical scheme involving volume averaging of conserved parameters is proposed. The solidification geometry under consideration is a two-dimensional mold cavity with a central riser allowing continuous melt flow into the cavity. Model validation is obtained against existing numerical results involving directional solidification of Al-4.1 wt. % Cu alloy. However, heavier solute (Cu) rejection in the melt during solidification renders the validation case study devoid of freckling phenomena. The postvalidation investigations involve bottom up solidification of Al-30 wt. % Mg alloy with lighter solute (Mg) rejection, leading to solutal instability and freckle formation. The effect of SIF on solutal instability, channel formation, and overall macro-segregation is investigated. The intensity of SIF hinges on both cooling condition and opening size. The penetration depth of SIF into the solidification domain gives rise to either early or late onset of solutal instability. SIF penetration depth till the melt domain adjacent to the mushy layer promotes early onset of solutal instability. However, SIF penetration into the mushy layer itself triggers redistribution of solute-rich melt inside this layer, leading to delayed onset of solutal instability. Since the macro-segregation is a direct consequence of advection of solute inside and adjacent to the mushy region, the influence of SIF is manifested by unprecedented macro-segregation pattern.

3D Numerical Analysis of the Asymmetric Three-Phase Line of Floating Zone for Silicon Crystal Growth

A numerical simulation has been carried out to study the asymmetric heat transfer, fluid flow, and three-phase line to explain the phenomenon of the spillage of the melt in floating zone (FZ) silicon growth. A three-dimensional high-frequency electromagnetic (EM) field is coupled with the heat transfer in the melt and crystal calculation domains. The current density along the three-phase line is investigated to demonstrate the inhomogeneous heating along the three-phase line. The asymmetric heating is found to affect the flow pattern and temperature distribution of the melt. The three-dimensional solid–liquid interface results show that, below the current supplies, the interface is deflected due to strong heating below the current supplies. The calculated asymmetric three-phase line shows a similar trend as the experimentally observed results. The results indicate that the re-melting and spillage phenomenon could occur below the current supplies.

Distinguishing Anuran species by high-resolution melting analysis of the COI barcode (COI-HRM).

Taxonomic identification can be difficult when two or more species appear morphologically similar. DNA barcoding based on the sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene (COI) is now widely used in identifying animal species. High‐resolution melting analysis (HRM) provides an alternative method for detecting sequence variations among amplicons without having to perform DNA sequencing. The purpose of this study was to determine whether HRM of the COI barcode can be used to distinguish animal species. Using anurans as a model, we found distinct COI melting profiles among three congeners of both Lithobates spp. and Hyla spp. Sequence variations within species shifted the melting temperature of one or more melting domains slightly but do not affect the distinctness of the melting profiles for each species. An NMDS ordination plot comparing melting peak profiles among eight Anuran species showed overlapping profiles for Lithobates sphenocephala and Gastrophryne carolinensis. The COI amplicon for both species contained two melting domains with melting temperatures that were similar between the two species. The two species belong to two different families, highlighting the fact that COI melting profiles do not reveal phylogenetic relationships but simply reflect DNA sequence differences among stretches of DNA within amplicons. This study suggests that high‐resolution melting analysis of COI barcodes (COI‐HRM) may be useful as a simple and rapid method to distinguish animal species that appear morphologically similar.

Cosmic dust fluxes in the atmospheres of Earth, Mars, and Venus

The ablation of cosmic dust injects a range of metals into planetary upper atmospheres. In addition, dust particles which survive atmospheric entry can be an important source of organic material at a planetary surface. In this study the contribution of metals and organics from three cosmic dust sources – Jupiter-Family comets (JFCs), the Asteroid belt (AST), and Halley-Type comets (HTCs) – to the atmospheres of Earth, Mars and Venus is estimated by combining a Chemical Ablation Model (CABMOD) with a Zodiacal Cloud Model (ZoDy). ZoDy provides the mass, velocity, and radiant distributions for JFC, AST, and HTC particles. JFCs are shown to be the main mass contributor in all three atmospheres (68% for Venus, 70% Earth, and 52% for Mars), providing a total input mass for Venus, Earth and Mars of 31 ± 18 t d−1, 28 ± 16 t d−1 and 2 ± 1 t d−1, respectively. The mass contribution of AST particles increases with heliocentric distance (6% for Venus, 9% for Earth, and 14% for Mars). A novel multiphase treatment in CABMOD, tested experimentally in a Meteoric Ablation Simulator, is implemented to quantify atmospheric ablation from both the silicate melt and Fe-Ni metal domains. The ratio of Fe:Ni ablation fluxes at Earth, Mars and Venus are predicted to be close to their CI chondritic ratio of 18, in agreement with mass spectrometric measurements of Fe+:Ni+ = 20−8+13 in the terrestrial ionosphere. In contrast, lidar measurements of the neutral atoms at Earth indicate Fe:Ni = 38 ± 11, and observations by the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer on the MAVEN spacecraft at Mars indicate Fe+:Ni+ = 43−10+13. Given the slower average entry velocity of cosmic dust particles at Mars, the accretion rate of unmelted particles in Mars represents 60% of the total input mass, of which a significant fraction of the total unmelted mass (22%) does not reach an organic pyrolysis temperature (~900 K), leading to a flux of intact carbon of 14 kg d−1. This is significantly smaller than previous estimates.

Hypervelocity collision and water-rock interaction in space preserved in the Chelyabinsk ordinary chondrite.

A comprehensive geochemical study of the Chelyabinsk meteorite reveals further details regarding its history of impact-related fragmentation and melting, and later aqueous alteration, during its transit toward Earth. We support an ∼30 Ma age obtained by Ar-Ar method (Beard et al., 2014) for the impact-related melting, based on Rb-Sr isotope analyses of a melt domain. An irregularly shaped olivine with a distinct O isotope composition in a melt domain appears to be a fragment of a silicate-rich impactor. Hydrogen and Li concentrations and isotopic compositions, textures of Fe oxyhydroxides, and the presence of organic materials located in fractures, are together consistent with aqueous alteration, and this alteration could have pre-dated interaction with the Earth’s atmosphere. As one model, we suggest that hypervelocity capture of the impact-related debris by a comet nucleus could have led to shock-wave-induced supercritical aqueous fluids dissolving the silicate, metallic, and organic matter, with later ice sublimation yielding a rocky rubble pile sampled by the meteorite.

Diverse late-stage crystallization and storage conditions in melt domains from the Youngest Toba Tuff revealed by age and compositional heterogeneity in the last increment of accessory phase growth

The chemical record contained within the final increment of growth on crystals is utilized to reveal the dynamics and timescales of magma assembly and storage before eruption of the cataclysmic 2800 km3 Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT), Indonesia. In situ U–Th disequilibrium dates and trace element concentrations were obtained via secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS) on unsectioned and unpolished faces of individual zircon and allanite crystals. The six high-silica (> 73 wt% SiO2) pumices from which crystals were derived are among the more evolved and lower crystallinity (< 25 wt%) pumices from the YTT eruption, and likely represent the melt-dominated portion of the magma system. Discrete SIMS measurement cycles were coupled with statistical treatments to detect zircon and allanite surface zoning domains at the ~ 1 µm scale. Coupled r-MELTS and accessory phase saturation modeling indicates that at the granite ternary minimum or ‘eutectoid’ conditions that define this portion of the YTT, zircon and allanite crystallization is dependent on and proportionate to major phase crystallization, and is more limited than at pre-eutectoid conditions. A lower proportion of near-eruption zircon surface ages in the comparatively cool and wet YTT relative to other hotter and drier voluminous silicic eruptions could reflect the influence of eutectoid storage conditions on magmatic responses to remobilization-related magmatic recharge.

Prediction of mechanical properties of PP/EVA polymer blends governed by EVA phase change in the presence of environmentally‐friendly inorganic tungsten disulfide nanotubes (INT‐WS2)

Anticipating dynamic mechanical behavior of polymeric materials over long period of time and under different frequencies is the first step to be taken to afford load‐bearing applications. Nevertheless, what we know about dynamic mechanical behavior of polymers is only limited to experiments, which necessitates large pools of data spending too much money, time, and energy. Environmentally‐friendly inorganic tungsten disulfide nanotube (INT‐WS2), was introduced to polypropylene/ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (PP/EVA, 75/25 wt/wt) blends through melt mixing, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) frequency sweep tests were performed to obtain master curves based on time‐temperature superposition (TTS) theorem. The influence of EVA phase change (solid, semi solid, and melt domains) on the creep and recovery behavior of nanocomposites in linear region was then studied. It was found that using INT‐WS2 along with PP‐g‐MA results in distinctive improvement in creep‐recovery response of nanocomposites. Burger and Weibull models were used to mimic viscoelastic behavior of the nanocomposites. Creep compliance master curves predicted creep compliance, while analysis of cyclic creep‐recovery at 30 °C revealed almost constant permanent strain parameters for sample having 5 wt% INT‐WS2 and PP‐g‐MA after three times repeating test cycles. Influence of phase change phenomenon of EVA domains on creep‐recovery behavior of nanocomposites was mechanistically demonstrated. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:1964–1978, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers

Immiscibility of Fluoride–Calcium and Silicate Melts in Trachyrhyolitic Magma: Data on Acidic Volcanic Rocks from the Nyalga Basin, Central Mongolia

An Early Cretaceous (120 ± 5 Ma) trachyrhyolite lava sheet in the Nyalga basin, Central Mongolia, includes a domain (∼0.5 km2) of unusual fluorite-enriched rocks with anomalously high concentrations of CaO (1.2–25.7 wt %) and F (0.6–15 wt %). The textures and structures of the rocks suggest that they were produced by two immiscible melts: fluoride–calcium (F–Ca) and trachyrhyolitic. Data on mineral-hosted inclusions and SEM EDS studies of the matrixes of the rocks indicate that a F–Ca melt occurred in the trachyrhyolitic magmas during its various evolutionary episodes, starting from the growth of minerals in a magmatic chamber and ending with eruptions on the surface. Elevated fluorine concentrations (up to 1.5–2 wt %) in local domains of the trachyrhyolitic melt may have resulted in the onset of its liquid immiscibility and the exsolution of a F–Ca liquid phase. This was associated with the redistribution of trace elements: REE, Y, Sr, and P were preferably concentrated in the F–Ca melt, while Zr, Hf, Ta, and Nb were mostly redistributed into the immiscible silicate liquid. The F–Ca melt contained oxygen and aqueous fluid and remained mobile until vitrification of the trachyrhyolitic magma. The oxygen-enriched F–Ca phase was transformed into fluorite at 570–780°? and a high oxygen fugacity Δlog fO2 (0.9–1.7) relative to the NNO buffer. Ferrian ilmenite, monazite-group As-bearing minerals, and cerianite crystallized under oxidizing conditions, and the titanomagnetite was replaced by hematite. The Ca- and F-enriched rocks were affected by low-density (0.05–0.1 g/cm3) aqueous fluid, which was released from the crystallizing trachyrhyolitic melt, and this led to the partial removal of REE from the F–Ca phase. The chondrite-normalized REE and Y patterns of the fluidmodified rocks show positive Y anomalies and W-shaped minima from Gd to Ho. A composition of the F–Ca phase close to the original one is conserved in mineral-hosted inclusions and in relict isolations in the rocks matrix. It is so far unclear why fluorite did not crystallize from the F–Ca melt contained in the trachyrhyolitic magma. Conceivably, this was favored by high-temperature oxidizing conditions under which the melt accommodated oxygen and aqueous fluid. The possible origin of mobile oxygen-bearing fluorite–calcic melt at subsolidus temperature should be taken into account when magmatic rocks and ores are studied. Fluorite and accompanying ore mineralization might have been formed in certain instances not by hydrothermal–metasomatic processes but during the fluid–magmatic stage as a result of the transformation of F–Ca melt enriched in REE, Y, and other trace elements.

Rapid mixing and short storage timescale in the magma dynamics of a steady-state volcano

Steady-state volcanic activity implies equilibrium between the rate of magma replenishment and eruption of compositionally homogeneous magmas, lasting for tens to thousands of years in an open conduit system. The Present-day activity of Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands, Southern Italy) has long been recognised as typical of a steady-state volcano, with a shallow magmatic reservoir (highly porphyritic or hp-magma) continuously refilled by more mafic magma (with low phenocryst content or lp-magma) at a constant rate and accompanied by mixing, crystallisation and eruption. Our aim is to clarify the timescale and dynamics of the plumbing system at the establishment of the Present-day steady-state activity (<1.2 ka) to pinpoint the onset of the steady-state regime. We investigated the Post-Pizzo (PP) pyroclastic sequence (∼1.7–1.5 ka) and one of the Early Paroxysms (EP) of the Present-day activity, focusing on the clinopyroxene population.Whole rock and clinopyroxene compositional variation among the PP and EP magmas is consistent with the time progression of the Stromboli system towards more mafic and lower 87Sr/86Sr compositions, pointing to the chemical and isotopic signature of the Present-day activity. Clinopyroxenes from both PP and EP record a complex history with compositional zoning that reflects growth in three different melt domains: a high-Mg# proto-lp recharging magma, a low-Mg# proto-hp resident magma, and a transient intermediate-Mg# magma. These are the result of complex turbulent flow fields and mixing regimes produced by repeated injections of the proto-lp magma in the shallow proto-hp magma reservoir. During the PP period the magmatic system was already able to regain the pre-input proto-hp composition, gradually changing toward a less evolved signature after the injection(s) of the more mafic proto-lp magma, owing to efficient (days to a few years) stirring and melt homogenisation (i.e., homogenisation time < residence time).Based upon Fe–Mg diffusion in clinopyroxene the total residence time during PP and EP periods, from the arrival of the mafic magma in the shallow system until the eruption, ranges from 1 to ∼50 years. Longer residence times (up to 150 years) have been recorded in the initial phase of the PP sequence, possibly testifying to the transition from a closed- to the open-conduit, steady-state regime of the Present-day activity.Some clinopyroxenes from the PP recorded the mafic triggering event of the feeding proto-lp magma occurring within few months to a few days before eruption. Remarkably, other clinopyroxene portions crystallised and captured the rapid timescales (a few days) of the on-going mixing and homogenisation process between the proto-lp and the proto-hp magmas leading to the eruption.The modelling of clinopyroxene zoning events at Stromboli provides evidence for growth and storage in three different melt domains, and sets robust constraints on their residence time from lp-magma recharge(s) to eruption, along with the timescales of melt homogenisation and triggering events. The lifetime history captured by Fe–Mg zoning of Stromboli clinopyroxenes suggests that the interplay between rapid mixing and short storage timescales can be a key parameter controlling the dynamics of the plumbing system of steady-state volcanoes.

Unique Clinkers and Paralavas from a New Nyalga Combustion Metamorphic Complex in Central Mongolia: Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Genesis

The paper presents mineralogical and geochemical data on clinkers and paralavas and on conditions under which they were formed at the Nyalga combustion metamorphic complex, which was recently discovered in Central Mongolia. Mineral and phase assemblages of the CM rocks do not have analogues in the world. The clinkers contain pyrogenically modified mudstone relics, acid silicate glass, partly molten quartz and feldspar grains, and newly formed indialite microlites (phenocrysts) with a ferroindialite marginal zone. In the paralava melts, spinel microlites with broadly varying Fe concentrations and anorthite–bytownite were the first to crystallize, and were followed by phenocrysts of Al-clinopyroxene ± melilite and Mg–Fe olivine. The next minerals to crystallize were Ca-fayalite, kirschsteinite, pyrrhotite, minerals of the rhonite–kuratite series, K–Ba feldspars (celsian, hyalophane, and Ba-orthoclase, Fe3+-hercynite ± (native iron, wustite, Al-magnetite, and fresnoite), nepheline ± (kalsilite), and later calcite, siderite, barite, celestine, and gypsum. The paralavas contain rare minerals of the rhonite–kuratite series, a new end-member of the rhonite subgroup Ca4Fe 8 2+ Fe 4 3+ O4 [Si8Al4O36], a tobermorite-like mineral Ca5Si5(Al,Fe)(OH)O16 · 5H2O, and high- Ba F-rich mica (K,Ba)(Mg,Fe)3(Al,Si)4O10F2. The paralavas host quenched relics of microemulsions of immiscible residual silicate melts with broadly varying Si, Al, Fe, Ca, K, Ba, and Sr concentrations, sulfide and calcitic melts, and water-rich silicate–iron ± (Mn) fluid media. The clinkers were formed less than 2 Ma ago in various parts of the Choir–Nyalga basin by melting Early Cretaceous mudstones with bulk composition varies from dacitic to andesitic. The pyrogenic transformations of the mudstones were nearly isochemical, except only for volatile components. The CM melt rocks of basaltic andesitic composition were formed via melting carbonate–silicate sediments at temperatures above 1450°C. The Ca- and Fe-enriched and silicaundersaturated paralavas crystallized near the surface at temperatures higher than 900–1100°C and oxygen fugacity $$f_{O_2 }$$ between the IW and QFM buffers. In local melting domains of the carbonate–silicate sedimentary rocks and in isolations of the residual melts among the paralava matrix the fluid pressure was higher than the atmospheric one. The bulk composition, mineral and phase assemblages of CM rocks of the Nyalga complex are very diverse (dacitic, andesitic, basaltic andesitic, basaltic, and silica-undersaturated mafic) because the melts crystallized under unequilibrated conditions and were derived by the complete or partial melting of clayey and carbonate–silicate sediments during natural coal fires.

Semicrystalline Block Copolymers in Rigid Confining Nanopores.

We have investigated PLLA crystallization in lamellae-forming PS-b-PLLA confined to straight cylindrical nanopores under weak confinement (nanopore diameter D/equilibrium PS-b-PLLA period L0 ≥ 4.8). Molten PS-b-PLLA predominantly forms concentric lamellae along the nanopores, but intertwined helices occur even for D/L0 ≈ 7.3. Quenching PS-b-PLLA melts below TG(PS) results in PLLA cold crystallization strictly confined by the vitrified PS domains. Above TG(PS), PLLA crystallization is templated by the PS-b-PLLA melt domain structure in the nanopore centers, while adsorption on the nanopore walls stabilizes the outermost cylindrical PS-b-PLLA shell. In between, the nanoscopic PS-b-PLLA melt domain structure apparently ripens to reduce frustrations transmitted from the outermost immobilized PS-b-PLLA layer. The onset of PLLA crystallization catalyzes the ripening while transient ripening states are arrested by advancing PLLA crystallization. Certain helical structure motifs persist PLLA crystallization even if PS is soft. The direction of fastest PLLA crystal growth is preferentially aligned with the nanopore axes to the same degree as for PLLA homopolymer, independent of whether PS is vitreous or soft.

How do granitoid magmas mix with each other? Insights from textures, trace element and Sr–Nd isotopic composition of apatite and titanite from the Matok pluton (South Africa)

In plutonic systems, magma mixing is often modelled by mass balance based on whole-rock geochemistry. However, magma mixing is a chaotic process and chemical equilibration is controlled by non-linear diffusive–advective processes unresolved by the study of bulk samples. Here we present textural observations, LA-(MC-)ICP-MS trace element and Sr–Nd isotopic data of accessory apatites and titanites from a hybrid granodiorite of the Neoarchean Matok pluton (South Africa), collected in a zone of conspicuous mixing between mafic and felsic magmas. Apatite grains mostly show a pronounced zoning in CL images, corresponding to abrupt changes in REE and HFSE concentrations recording their transfer through compositionally different melt domains during mixing. These grains crystallized early, at temperatures of 950–1000 °C. Titanite grains crystallized at temperatures of 820–900 °C (Zr-in-sphene thermometry). They show limited intra-grain chemical variations but huge inter-grain compositional scatter in REE and HFSE, pinpointing crystallization within a crystal mush, from isolated melt pockets having different composition from one another owing to incomplete chemical homogenization and variable Rayleigh fractionation. These chemical–textural characteristics, in combination with partitioning models and Polytopic Vector Analysis, point to “self-mixing” between co-genetic dioritic and granodioritic/granitic magmas. Both resulted from differentiation of mantle-derived mafic melts, showing that mixing does not necessarily involve magmas from contrasted (crust vs. mantle) sources. Systematic variations in eNd t (−4.5 to −2.5) and 87Sr/86Sr(i) (0.703–0.707) of titanite and apatite grains/domains crystallized from the two magmas point to an isotopically inhomogeneous mantle source, which is not resolved by bulk-rock isotopic data. Interaction between the two magmas must have occurred at relatively high temperatures (ca. 900°C) so that their viscosity contrast remained low, allowing efficient mechanical mixing. Despite this, chemical homogenization was incomplete, as recorded by diffusive fractionation between REE–HFSE and Sr. Modelling thereof reveals that chemical exchange between the liquid phases of the two mixed magmas did not last more than a few tens to hundreds of years. The chemical equilibration between mixed magmas thus strongly depends on the considered elements and observational length scales.

The influence of thermal treatment on the morphology in differently prepared films of a oligodepsipeptide based multiblock copolymer

Degradable multiblock copolymers prepared from equal weight amounts of poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐diol (PCL‐diol) and poly[oligo(3S‐iso‐butylmorpholine‐2,5‐dione)]‐diol (PIBMD‐diol), named PCL‐PIBMD, provide a phase‐segregated morphology. It exhibits a low melting temperature from PCL domains (Tm,PCL) of 38 ± 2 °C and a high Tm,PIBMD of 170 ± 2 °C with a glass transition temperature (Tg,PIBMD) at 42 ± 2 °C from PIBMD domains.In this study, we explored the influence of applying different thermal treatments on the resulting morphologies of solution‐cast and spin‐coated PCL‐PIBMD thin films, which showed different initial surface morphologies. Differential scanning calorimetry results and atomic force microscopy images after different thermal treatments indicated that PCL and PIBMD domains showed similar crystallization behaviors in 270 ± 30 µm thick solution‐cast films as well as in 30 ± 2 and 8 ± 1 nm thick spin‐coated PCL‐PIBMD films. Existing PIBMD crystalline domains highly restricted the generation of PCL crystalline domains during cooling when the sample was annealed at 180 °C. By annealing the sample above 120 °C, the PIBMD domains crystallized sufficiently and covered the free surface, which restricted the crystallization of PCL domains during cooling. The PCL domains can crystallize by hindering the crystallization of PIBMD domains via the fast vitrification of PIBMD domains when the sample was cooled/quenched in liquid nitrogen after annealing at 180 °C. These findings contribute to a better fundamental understanding of the crystallization mechanism of multi‐block copolymers containing two crystallizable domains whereby the Tg of the higher melting domain type is in the same temperature range as the Tm of the lower melting domain type. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Martian meteorite Tissint records unique petrogenesis among the depleted shergottites

AbstractTissint, a new unaltered piece of Martian volcanic materials, is the most silica‐poor and Mg‐Fe‐rich igneous rock among the “depleted” olivine‐phyric shergottites. Fe‐Mg zoning of olivine suggests equilibrium growth (&lt;0.1 °C h−1) in the range of Fo80–56 and olivine overgrowth (Fo55–18) through a process of rapid disequilibrium (~1.0–5.0 °C h−1). The spatially extended (up to 600 μm) flat‐top Fe‐Mg profiles of olivine indicates that the early‐stage cooling rate of Tissint was slower than the other shergottites. The chemically metastable outer rim of olivine (&lt;Fo55) consists of oscillatory phosphorus zoning at the impact‐induced melt domains and grew rapidly compared to the early to intermediate‐stage crystallization of the Tissint bulk. High‐Ca pyroxene to low‐Ca pyroxene and high‐Ca pyroxene to plagioclase ratios of Tissint are more comparable to the enriched basaltic and enriched olivine‐phyric shergottites. Dominance of augite over plagioclase induced augite to control the Ca‐buffer in the residual melt suppressing the plagioclase crystallization, which also caused a profound effect on the Al‐content in the late‐crystallized pyroxenes. Mineral chemical stability, phase‐assemblage saturation, and pressure–temperature path of evolution indicates that the parent magma entered the solidus and left the liquidus field at a depth of 40–80 km in the upper mantle. Petrogenesis of Tissint appears to be similar to LAR 06319, an enriched olivine‐phyric shergottite, during the early to intermediate stage of crystallization. A severe shock‐induced deformation resulted in remelting (10–15 vol%), recrystallization (most Fe‐rich phases), and exhumation of Tissint in a time scale of 1–8 yr. Tissint possesses some distinct characteristics, e.g., impact‐induced melting and deformation, forming phosphorus‐rich recrystallization rims of olivine, and shock‐induced melt domains without relative enrichment of LREEs compared to the bulk; and shared characteristics, e.g., modal composition and magmatic evolution with the enriched basaltic shergottites, evidently reflecting unique mantle source in comparison to the clan of the depleted members.

Mid-Miocene thermal impact on the lithosphere by sub-lithospheric convective mantle material: Transition from high- to moderate-Mg magmatism beneath Vitim Plateau, Siberia

High-Mg lavas are characteristic of the mid-Miocene volcanism in Inner Asia. In the Vitim Plateau, small volume high-Mg volcanics erupted at 16–14 Ma, and were followed with voluminous moderate-Mg lavas at 14–13 Ma. In the former unit, we have recorded a sequence of (1) initial basaltic melts, contaminated by crustal material, (2) uncontaminated high-Mg basanites and basalts of transitional (K–Na–K) compositions, and (3) picrobasalts and basalts of K series; in the latter unit a sequence of (1) initial basalts and basaltic andesites of transitional (Na–K–Na) compositions and (2) basalts and trachybasalts of K–Na series. From pressure estimation, we infer that the high-Mg melts were derived from the sub-lithospheric mantle as deep as 150 km, unlike the moderate-Mg melts that were produced at the shallow mantle. The 14–13 Ma rock sequence shows that initial melts equilibrated in a garnet-free mantle source with subsequently reduced degree of melting garnet-bearing material. No melting of relatively depleted lithospheric material, evidenced by mantle xenoliths, was involved in melting, however. We suggest that the studied transition from high- to moderate-Mg magmatism was due to the mid-Miocene thermal impact on the lithosphere by hot sub-lithospheric mantle material from the Transbaikalian low-velocity (melting) domain that had a potential temperature as high as 1510 °С. This thermal impact triggered rifting in the lithosphere of the Baikal Rift Zone.