Cracking the olivine zoning code: Distinguishing between crystal growth and diffusion

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 2015 Cracking the olivine zoning code: Distinguishing between crystal growth and diffusion Thomas Shea; Thomas Shea 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kendra J. Lynn; Kendra J. Lynn 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael O. Garcia Michael O. Garcia 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Thomas Shea 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA Kendra J. Lynn 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA Michael O. Garcia 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 18 Jun 2015 Revision Received: 18 Aug 2015 Accepted: 19 Aug 2015 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2015 Geological Society of America Geology (2015) 43 (10): 935–938. https://doi.org/10.1130/G37082.1 Article history Received: 18 Jun 2015 Revision Received: 18 Aug 2015 Accepted: 19 Aug 2015 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Thomas Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Michael O. Garcia; Cracking the olivine zoning code: Distinguishing between crystal growth and diffusion. Geology 2015;; 43 (10): 935–938. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G37082.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Olivine composition and zoning patterns are widely used to reconstruct the evolution of mafic magmas from source to surface and to extract time scales of magmatic processes. Deciphering the olivine zoning code is challenging because the contributions of growth and diffusion may overlap. A detailed multielement (Fe, Mg, P, Al, and Ni) examination of zoning in an exceptional olivine with skeletal morphology allows unequivocal discrimination between these two processes using simple but powerful geometrical arguments. Olivine crystals initially grow rapidly and diagonally from corner locations, whereas diffusion effectively tracks mutually perpendicular crystal lattice orientations. Generating the zoning patterns for our case-study olivine required at least 4–5 months of diffusive reequilibration of Fe-Mg, further demonstrating that crystal morphologies produced by rapid growth can survive at magmatic temperatures for extended periods. No significant major element zoning is preserved after rapid growth, lending further credibility to time scales retrieved via diffusion modeling. Extending multielement approaches to decoding olivine zoning patterns can help determine whether the kinetic relationship between growth- and diffusion-induced zoning recognized herein is widely applicable. Such studies will improve our understanding of time scales of magma storage, solidification, mixing, and/or transit toward the surface. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.