Application of the Linkam TS1400XY heating stage to melt inclusion studies

Abstract

Melt inclusions (MI) trapped in igneous phenocrysts provide one of the best tools available for characterizing magmatic processes. Some MI experience post-entrapment modifications, including crystallization of material on the walls, formation of a vapor bubble containing volatiles originally dissolved in the melt, or partial to complete crystallization of the melt. In these cases, laboratory heating may be necessary to return the MI to its original homogeneous melt state, followed by rapid quenching of the melt to produce a homogeneous glass phase, before microanalyses can be undertaken.Here we describe a series of heating experiments that have been performed on crystallized MI hosted in olivine, clinopyroxene and quartz phenocrysts, using the Linkam TS1400XY microscope heating stage. During the experiments, we have recorded the melting behaviors of the MI up to a maximum temperature of 1360 • C. In most of the experiments, the MI were homogenized completely (without crystals or bubbles) and remained homogeneous during quenching to room temperature. The resulting single phase MI contained a homogeneous glass phase. These tests demonstrate the applicability of the Linkam TS1400XY microscope heating stage to homogenize and quench MI to produce homogeneous glasses that can be analyzed with various techniques such as Electron Microprobe (EMP), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), Laser ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA ICP-MS), Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, etc. During heating experiments, the optical quality varied greatly between samples and was a function of not only the temperature of observation, but also on the amount of matrix glass attached to the phenocryst, the presence of other MI in the sample which are connected to the outside of the crystal, and the existence of mineral inclusions in the host.

Nanogranite inclusions in migmatitic garnet: behavior during piston‐cylinder remelting experiments

“…Thus, at T 1 P 1 , P i is much greater than P e (see also inset) and MI often decrepitate before remelting, with loss of H 2 O (It should be noted that in some cases MI do not decrepitate during heating stage experiments; see Esposito et al . ). At the H 2 O‐saturated granite solidus ( T s , P s ) melting does not occur because of H 2 O loss, resulting in an increased solidus temperature.…”

“…Esposito et al . () argued that a possible explanation could be that the confining pressure is lower than the pressure at which the host mineral trapped the MI. This results in a lower internal pressure in the MI and, therefore, a lower volatile solubility in the melt.…”

Magmatic–hydrothermal evolution of highly fractionated granites: Evidence from the Kuiqi miarolite in Fujian province, SE China

“…The heating rate was generally 0.2-5°C/min during the process of fluid inclusion test, but reduced to 0.1°C/min near the freezing point, and 0.2-0.5°C/min near the homogenization temperature on purpose of accurately recording the phase transformation process. Microthermometric studies of melt-fluid/melt inclusions were carried out on a Linkam TS1400XY heating stage (Esposito et al, 2012). Before each run of the experiment, the heating was calibrated using the melting temperature of NaCl (810°C).…”

European Current Research on Fluid Inclusions — ECROFI XXI Leoben (Austria)

“…Advanced in analytical techniques are presented the paper of Rosario Esposito et al [5] and Yuri V. Dublyanski [6]. The capabilities of a new type of high temperature heating stage from the company Linkam (TS1400XY) are illustrated with several examples of natural melt inclusions [5].…”

“…The capabilities of a new type of high temperature heating stage from the company Linkam (TS1400XY) are illustrated with several examples of natural melt inclusions [5]. Two new crushing devices are presented that release volatiles from fluid inclusions to be detected in gas chromatograhic and mass spectrometric analyses [6].…”