Water-saturated solidus and second critical endpoint of peridotite
determined from liquid texture and chemistry
Abstract
The melting of peridotite plays a key role in the chemical
differentiation of planetary bodies. Water-saturated (‘wet’) solidus of
mantle peridotite defines initial melting temperature of Earth’s mantle
under water-saturated conditions and the second critical endpoint (SCEP)
marks the end of the wet solidus. However, the location of the wet
solidus remains an outstanding issue for over 50 years and the position
of the SCEP is hotly debated. Published wet solidus shows a difference
of 200−600 °C at given pressures, meanwhile, reported SCEP ranges from
< 4 to > 6 GPa. Using a large-volume multi-anvil
apparatus, we investigated the water-saturated melting behavior of a
fertile peridotite (at 3−6 GPa, 950−1200 °C) and obtained well-preserved
quenched liquid. Based on the texture and chemistry of the quenched
liquid, we successfully determined the wet solidus and the SCEP of
peridotite (Fig 1 A). The quenched fluids exhibit fragile fibres at 950
℃ and spherule–fibre mixtures at temperatures above 1000 ℃ (Fig 1B). At
3 GPa, the quenched hydrous melt appears as a felt-like mass or as
dendritic crystallites and coexist with the quenched fluids (Fig. 1B).
We interpreted the presence of spherule–fibre mixtures as an evidence
for aqueous fluid above the solidus and fragile fibres as evidence for
aqueous fluid below the solidus. Thus, the occurrence of quenched melt
and spherule–fibre mixtures indicates that the wet solidus lies between
950 and 1000 ℃ at 3 GPa and that 3 GPa is lower than the critical
pressure (Pc). The most important textural difference between the run
products at 3 GPa and those at other pressures (4 and 6 GPa)o is the
presence of aqueous fluids in the former (Fig. 1B) and the absence of
which in the latter (Figs. 1C–D).The spherule–fibre mixtures were not
found in the 4 and 6 GPa run products. Liquids quenched from 4 and 6 GPa
run products are homogeneous (SCF supercritical fluid), suggesting that
Pc is lower than 4 GPa. Compositions of the liquids were analysed by
EDS. In combine with previous studies, we find that with increasing
pressures, the liquid compositions become more deficient in quartz and
richer in olivine components. The compositions of silicate melts or SCFs
change consistently with respect to pressure: andesitic at 1 GPa,
boninite-like at 3 GPa, picritic at 4 GPa, and kimberlite-like at
pressures > 5 GPa.