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Experimental calibration of aluminum partitioning between olivine and spinel as a geothermometer

School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3P6, Canada

Correspondence: ^* E-mail: lacoogan{at}uvic.ca

The temperature dependence of the partitioning of Al₂O₃ between forsterite-rich olivine and Cr-rich spinels has been experimentally calibrated at 100 kPa between 1250 and 1450 °C under reducing conditions. For spinel with values of Y_Cr between 0.07 and 0.69, and containing <0.1 Fe³⁺ atoms and <0.025 Ti atoms per 4 O atoms the experimental data can be fit to an equation:

where Y_Cr = Cr/(Cr + Al) in spinel in atomic proportions and K_D = Al₂O₃^ol/Al₂O₃^sp in wt%. This equation reproduces the temperature of the experiment for the calibration data set within ±22 °C. Empirical tests suggest that this geothermometer has little pressure dependence within the range of pressures encountered in the crust and upper mantle.

Key Words: Olivine • spinel • aluminum • thermometer • experiment