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Palaeogeotherms and the diopside–enstatite solvus

Abstract

THE precise composition of the solid solutions that develop between diopside and enstatite has provided a basis for estimates of the temperature of equilibration of mineral assemblages from peridotites. We report here results of a reinvestigation of these relationships, which demonstrate that the range of solid solutions formed at high temperatures is less than previously believed, and that it is dependent on both pressure and silica activity. The stable existence of an iron-free pigeonite has not been confirmed.

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HOWELLS, S., O'HARA, M. Palaeogeotherms and the diopside–enstatite solvus. Nature 254, 406–408 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/254406a0

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