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Inte gra ting R e se arch a nd Education > Te a ching P hase Equilibria > "Classical" The rm obarom e try
"Classical" Thermobarometry
Donna W hitne y, Unive rsity of Minne sota
(1) index minerals : characteristic minerals that provide an indication of the temperature (and, in
some cases, pressure) conditions at which a rock formed (e.g., kyanite in metamorphosed
shale; magmatic epidote in plutons and volcanic rocks). Not all rocks have a suitable bulk
composition to produce index minerals.
(2) metamorphic facies : assemblages of minerals, each characteristic for a particular bulk
composition and indicating the range of pressure-temperature conditions at which the rock
equilibrated (Figure 2). For example, high-pressure - low -temperature conditions characterize
the blueschist facies.
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Thermobarometry
Conceptual basis: The compositions of coexisting minerals in equilibrium are related by the
thermodynamic properties of the minerals to the pressure and temperature conditions of
equilibration. Thermometers are assemblages that form by reactions that are sensitive to
temperature but not (much) to pressure. Barometers are assemblages that are sensitive to
pressure but not (much) to temperatures. Not all rocks contain assemblages that make suitable
thermometers or barometers.
Thermometry
Exchange reactions. Exchange reactions involve the exchange of cations with similar sizes and
charges betw een tw o minerals. These reactions are typically very temperature-sensitive, but
are not pressure-sensitive because no major change in volume is involved in the exchange.
Temperature-sensitive reactions have steep slopes on P-T diagrams (Figure 3a). The most
common exchange thermometers involve exchange of Fe 2+ and Mg between two minerals, e.g.,
between garnet and biotite.
Solvus thermometry involves phases that form a solid solution at high-T but that 'unmix' into
separate phases during cooling. The composition of coexisting minerals that have a solvus
relationship is an indicator of temperature (Figure 3b), although in some cases this may be a
temperature representing part of the cooling path of a rock. Examples: muscovite-paragonite;
calcite-dolomite; orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene; feldspars.
Figure 3 .
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Sc hematic P - T
(a) and T -X
(s olvus ) (b)
diagrams
illus trating
general
c harac teris tic s
of
thermometers
and
barometers .
T hermometers
have s teep
s lopes and
barometers
have s hallow s lopes on a P - T diagram.
Other : The composition of coexisting plagioclase and calcic amphibole (e.g., hornblende) can be
used to estimate temperature. Other thermometers involve trace element concentrations of
phases. For example, the concentrations of Ti in quartz and zircon in equilibrium with rutile
(TiO 2 ), and the concentration of Zr in rutile are very sensitive to temperature. These
thermometers can be applied to igneous and metamorphic rocks, but require an ion microprobe
for analysis of trace concentrations (ppm) of Ti and Zr. Another trace element thermometer w ith
applications to metamorphic rocks involves the yttrium concentration of coexisting monazite and
garnet (or monazite and xenotime).
The concentration of stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon in coexisting minerals can also be
used to determine the temperature at w hich the system became closed to exchange of these
isotopes. For example, the O 18 /O 16 ratio in coexisting quartz and magnetite is a thermometer,
as is the C 13 /C 12 ratio in coexisting quartz and calcite or calcite and graphite.
Barometry
Uncertainties
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Thermobarometric calculations rely on thermodynamic data and a 'calibration' that
allow s mineral composition to be related to temperature or pressure. The mineral
compositions and crystal structures in the rock being analyzed should not be too
different from the compositions and structures on w hich the calibrations are based.
Temperature calculations require an estimation of pressure, and pressure calculations
require an estimation of pressure. You therefore either need to know one variable, or
use a thermometer or barometer that is very insensitive to the other variable. Hence,
the best thermometers have nearly vertical slopes on a P-T diagram and the best
barometers have nearly horizontal slopes.
For igneous rocks, calculated pressures and temperatures likely represent the conditions at
crystallization, particularly for rapidly cooled rocks. Metamorphic rocks have more complex
thermal and pressure histories, but the most typical interpretation of thermobarometric results
is that the calculated P and T represent the conditions at the thermal maximum (peak of
metamorphism) (Figure 4). It is important to recognize that the thermal maximum may not
represent the pressure maximum (Figure 4). Furthermore, it is important to examine the
textures of a metamorphic rock and determine if the mineral assemblages/textures are
consistent w ith the interpretation that peak metamorphic conditions are preserved and have
not been overprinted during later events.
Resources
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