Low-temperature crystallization of granites and the implications for crustal magmatism.

The structure and composition of granites provide clues to the nature of silicic volcanism, the formation of continents, and the rheological and thermal properties of the Earth's upper crust as far back as the Hadean eon during the nascent stages of the planet's formation1-4. The temperature of granite crystallization underpins our thinking about many of these phenomena, but evidence is emerging that this temperature may not be well constrained. The prevailing paradigm holds that granitic mineral assemblages crystallize entirely at or above about 650-700 degrees Celsius5-7. The granitoids of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite in California tell a different story. Here we show that quartz crystals in Tuolumne samples record crystallization temperatures of 474-561 degrees Celsius. Titanium-in-quartz thermobarometry and diffusion modelling of titanium concentrations in quartz indicate that a sizeable proportion of the mineral assemblage of granitic rocks (for example, more than 80 per cent of the quartz) crystallizes about 100-200 degrees Celsius below the accepted solidus. This has widespread implications. Traditional models of magma formation require high-temperature magma bodies, but new data8,9 suggest that volcanic rocks spend most of their existence at low temperatures; because granites are the intrusive complements of volcanic rocks, our downward revision of granite crystallization temperatures supports the observations of cold magma storage. It also affects the link between volcanoes, ore deposits and granites: ore bodies are fed by the release of fluids from granites below them in the crustal column; thus, if granitic fluids are hundreds of degrees cooler than previously thought, this has implications for research on porphyry ore deposits. Geophysical interpretations of the thermal structure of the crust and the temperature of active magmatic systems will also be affected.

A reduced organic carbon component in martian basalts.

The source and nature of carbon on Mars have been a subject of intense speculation. We report the results of confocal Raman imaging spectroscopy on 11 martian meteorites, spanning about 4.2 billion years of martian history. Ten of the meteorites contain abiotic macromolecular carbon (MMC) phases detected in association with small oxide grains included within high-temperature minerals. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected along with MMC phases in Dar al Gani 476. The association of organic carbon within magmatic minerals indicates that martian magmas favored precipitation of reduced carbon species during crystallization. The ubiquitous distribution of abiotic organic carbon in martian igneous rocks is important for understanding the martian carbon cycle and has implications for future missions to detect possible past martian life.

Anionic constitution of 1-atmosphere silicate melts: implications for the structure of igneous melts.

A structural model is proposed for the polymeric units in silicate melts quenched at 1 atmosphere. The anionic units that have been identified by the use of Raman spectroscopy are SiO(4)(4-) monomers, Si(2)O(7)(6-) dimers, SiO(3)(2-) chains or rings, Si(2)O(5)(2-) sheets, and SiO(2) three-dimensional units. The coexisting anionic species are related to specific ranges of the ratio of nonbridging oxygens to tetrahedrally coordinated cations (NBO/Si). In melts with 2.0 < NBO/Si < approximately 4.0, the equilibrium is of the type [See equation in the PDF file]. In melts with NBO/Si approximately 1.0 to 2.0, the equilibrium anionic species are given by [See equation in the PDF file]. In alkali-silicate melts with NBO/Si <~ 1.3 and in aluminosilicate melts with NBO/T < 1.0, where T is (Si + Al), the anionic species in equilibrium are given by [See equation in the PDF file]. In multicomponent melts with compositions corresponding to those of the major igneous rocks, the anionic species are TO(2), T(2)O(5), T(2)O(6), and TO(4), and the coexisting polymeric units are determined by the second and third of these disproportionation reactions.