Tomoaki Matsui

Anorthite megacrysts from island arc basalts

Abstract Anorthite megacrysts are common in basalts from the Japanese Island Arc, and signally rare in other global fields. These anorthites are 1 to 3 cm in size and often contain several corroded Mg-olivine inclusions. The megacrysts generally range from An94Ab4Ot2 to An89Ab6Ot5 (Ot: other minor end-members, including CaFeSi3O8, CaMgSi3O8, AlAl3SiO8, □Si4O8) and show no chemical zoning. They often show parting. Redclouded megacrysts contain microcrystals of native copper with a distribution reminiscent of the shape of a planetary nebula. Hydrocarbons are also present, both in the anorthite megacrysts and in the olivines included within them. Implications of lateral variations in the Fe/Mg ratio of the included olivines, in Sr-content and in Sr-isotope ratio of the anorthite megacrysts with respect to the Japanese island arc, relate to mixing of crustal components and subducted slab-sediments into the basaltic magmas.

Single crystal X-ray and electron microprobe study of Al/Si-disordered anorthite with low content of albite

Abstract The crystal chemistry of anorthite with low content of albite (An92.0 Ab3.4), part of a rapidly cooled anorthite megacryst occurring in 1940 ejecta from Miyake-jima volcano, Japan, has been investigated using a single-crystal X-ray diffractometer and an electron microprobe analyzer with wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EMPA-WDS). The structure was refined in space group P1̅ and cell parameters, a=8.182(6) Å, b=12.883(4) Å, c=7.092(4) Å, α=93.19(4)°, β=115.91°(4), γ=91.18°(4). The final weighted R-factor is 3.77% for 1549 reflections. Averaged T-O distances are 1.681 Å for T1(0), 1.674 Å for T1(m), 1.677 Å for T2(0) and 1.680 Å for T2(m), indicating Al occupancies of 0.501, 0.453, 0.472, and 0.496, respectively. These results suggest that the Al/Si-distribution in the tetrahedral framework is highly disordered (QOD=0.06), which results in bisection of the c-period in Al/Si ordered anorthites (c∼14 Å). Chemical composition of the refined crystal obtained by EMPA-WDS is (Ca0.93 Na0.03 Fe0.02□0.01)(Mg0.01 Al1.94 Si2.05)O8. The extra-framework site-populations consist of the following two: (1) A(000) site occupied by Ca (86%), Na (8%), Fe2+ (4%) and □(2%), and (2) A(zi0) site by Ca (100%). The Al/Si tetrahedral framework is hence pseudo-face-centered in symmetry (C1ʩ so that both extra-framework cations and their defects appear to reduce the symmetry of the overall structure to P1ʮ Although the Al/Si disordered anorthite can be interpreted as a metastable phase, the observed chemical non-stoichiometry may stabilize such a metastable structure by introducing minor -Si4+-O-Si4+- bonds into the tetrahedral framework and anti-phase-boundary.