A review of the theory and evolution of fO2 cells is given. Particular attention is paid to the double cell design of Sato (1971). The incorporation of a servo mechanism after Sato (1971) is discussed. Calibration procedures for the entire system are presented with some emphasis on the use of nickel-neckel oxide and synthetic magnetite. The petrology of the Bushveld is reviewed in light of a possible fO2 hypothesis for the Critical Zone. Results of an examination of the E-F contact, Critical Zone, Eastern Bushveld, show a last equilibration at 1075 C and at a log10 fO2 value of -12.20. Two explanations are suggested for this intersection point: 1. It is the solidus, fO2 and temperature of the Bushveld magma at this horizon. 2. It is the post-cumulus, i.e., sub-solidus, fO2 and temperature of equilibration for the Bushveld rocks at the F-horizon. The first explanation is favored by the author and is being pursued currently. The second explanation requires ferrous/ferric equilibration but not chemical equilibration. This phenomenon is discussed from the consideration of diffusion rates for various ions. / Earth and Environmental Science

Thesis advisor: Ethan F. Baxter / Subduction zones are the primary areas of chemical and mass transfer between the Earth’s surface and the mantle. Dehydration during subduction has been linked to subduction seismicity, arc volcanism, and redox (fO2) changes in the subducting slab and overlying mantle wedge. Despite this, no petrologic record tracing the source of oxidizing fluids from the down going slab has yet been observed. To address this, this study shows a direct record of progressive redox change recorded in zoned garnet crystals from Sifnos and Syros, Greece that grew through the breakdown of the hydrous mineral lawsonite during subduction. Oxygen fugacities (fO2) calculated using garnet-epidote oxybarometry for multiple growth zones within single garnet grains have been compared with stable iron isotope compositions in the same growth zone. These combined measurements reveal that garnet cores grew under oxidized conditions, recording higher fO2 and lower 56Fe values, whereas garnet rims grew under more reduced conditions with lower fO2 and higher 56Fe values. This is consistent with the release of oxidizing fluids into the sub-arc mantle accompanying lawsonite breakdown and dehydration, leaving behind a progressively reduced residual slab mineral assemblage. These coupled fO2 and Fe isotope data show that slab dehydration accompanying lawsonite breakdown plays an important and measureable role in the global redox budget, and provides a mechanism for sub-arc mantle oxidation. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences.

The objective of this thesis is to calibrate two oxygen barometers for kimberlite magmas in the system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-TiO2-FeO based on the Fe and V content of monticellite, CaMgSiO4, that may be utilized in cases where oxides in olivine phenocrysts and perovskite are absent from a kimberlite pipe. I first calibrate a new oxygen barometer for kimberlite magmas based on the Fe content of monticellite in equilibrium with kimberlite liquids in experiments at 100kPa from 1230 to 1350C and at fO2 from NNO-4.1 to NNO+5.3 (where NNO is the nickel-nickel oxide buffer). The XFeMtc/XFeliq (where XFeMtc/XFeliq is the ratio of mole fraction of total Fe in monticellite and Fe in liquid) decreases with increasing fO2, consistent with only Fe2+ entering the monticellite structure. Although the XFe in monticellite varies with temperature and bulk composition, these dependencies are small (0.03) compared to that with fO2. The experimental data were fitted by weigted least square regression to the following relationship: DNNO= (log (0.858(0.021)*XFeliq/XFeMtc-1)-0.139(0.022))/0.193(0.004) (uncertainties at 2 sigma). I apply this oxygen barometer to natural kimberlite assuming the bulk rock FeO is that of their liquid FeO. Monticellite compositions of five kimberlites from both literature and my own investigations revealed a range in fO2 from NNO-3.5 to NNO+1.7. I finally use my well-defined monticellite-liquid Kd Fe2+-Mg to derive a range of Mg/(Mg+Fe2+) (Mg number) for kimberlite melts of 0.40-0.90. This range in composition is broader than previous estimates of 'primary' kimberlites, reflecting the diverse mantle sources and processes that occur during generation and ascent of kimberlites. Second, I calibrate a new oxygen barometer for kimberlite magmas based on the V content of monticellite in equilibrium with kimberlite liquids doped with 0.5 wt% V2O5 at 100kPa at 1280 and 1350C and at fO2 from NNO-4.1 to NNO_0.5. The DV Mtc/liq (DV Mtc/liq = V (ppm) in monticellite/V (ppm) in liquid) decreases with increasing fO2. The partitioning data can be fitted to a model consistent with V5+ as the dominant species in the melt phase above NNO whereas V4+ dominates below those conditions in kimberlitic magmas. The total DV Mtc/liq, which embodies both DV3+ Mtc/liq and DV4+ Mtc/liq, shows a very slight temperature and bulk composition dependence. The experimental data can be fitted by weighted least square regression to the following relationship: DNNO= (log(0.354(1.785)*Vliq/VMtc-1)-1.172(2.302))/0.111(0.071) (uncertainties at 2 sigma and V in ppm). In order to apply this oxygen barometer rigorously, the V concentrations of the kimberlite melt coexisting with monticellite need to be constrained. In contrast to the Fe-in-monticellite oxygen barometer for which the concentration of Fe in monticellite was close to that of the whole rock composition, the concentration of V in the bulk rock composition reflects mostly the large accumulation of olivine xenocrysts which contain low V concentrations. For that reason, the V-in-monticellite oxygen barometer cannot be applied to natural kimberlites until we find a way to overcome this problem. The vanadium concentrations of kimberlite melts are likely higher than the V concentrations of the whole rock compositions leading to underestimated fO2 values. / Graduate

No description available.

The Mont Saint-Hilaire alkaline complex, Québec, is a Cretaceous rift-related intrusion comprising two gabbroic suites and the East Hill suite, an assemblage of several distinct nepheline syenites and evolved syenitic rocks. Whole-rock analysis of the East Hill suite reveals two fractionation trends, one which is described by the syenitic lithologies and one by the evolved syenites and syenoids. A lamprophyric unit stands on its own, geochemically, consistent with typical lamprophyre petrogenesis. Whole-rock geochemistry of the East Hill suite shows moderate silica content but highly alkaline rocks, enriched in Mn, Zn, Zr, Y, and Ce. Chlorine and sulfur are important and present in abundant secondary sodalite and pervasive microsulfides. Mineral geochemistry indicates decreasing oxygen fugacity with cooling, and phases such as titanite (present) and aenigmatite (absent) defined boundaries in fO2 – T space. Oxygen fugacity data combined with petrography and geothermometry defined an 2 fO – T curve for the East Hill suite magma, revealing that the oxygen fugacity ranged between approximately 10-10 bar at intrusion down to 10-25 bar subsolidus, and that, owing to non-linearity of oxygen buffers, the 2 fO – T path crossed below QFM early, went above QFM late in the crystallization history and then above HM with cooling. A similar procedure applied to sulfur fugacity generated a trend of initial increase from about 10-4 to 10-2 bar followed by decreasing sulfur fugacity with cooling down to approximately 10-8 bar. The oxygen trend implies that earlier suggestions that oxidation of iron drove the evolution of pyroxenes towards aegirine are incorrect. Textural evidence of abundant alteration and secondary mineralization suggests subsolidus action of alkaline fluids. Contrary to previous studies, most sodalite in the East Hill suite is not primary but is the product of reaction of nepheline with chloride-rich fluids after crystallization. Sodalite pseudomorphs continued to react with these fluids, whose chemistry changed with time to silica- then carbonate-rich, resulting in further reactions that led to natrolite and dawsonite deposition, accompanied by late-stage rhodochrosite. It is hypothesized that the silica- and carbonate-rich phase of these fluids caused the decomposition of a melilite groundmass in the lamprophyre to a natrolite-calcite assemblage.

Kimberlitos são rochas vulcânicas que, frequentemente, contêm diamante, grafite e/ou carbonato, sendo a presença destes componentes diretamente influenciada pela variabilidade da fugacidade de oxigênio (fO2) do magma durante a sua ascenção. Segundo Chakhmouradian and Mitchell (2000), CaTiO3-perovskitas podem ser usadas para revelar as condições de alguns dos múltiplos estágios de cristalização da história magmática destas rochas. No intuito de estabelecer a fugacidade de oxigênio de magmas kimberlíticos naturais, CaTiO3-perovskitas foram cristalizadas experimentalmente em equilíbrio com um líquido kimberlítico sintético em altas temperaturas e diferentes condições de pressão e de fugacidade de oxigênio. Os experimentos mostraram que a perovskita incorporou maiores quantidades de Fe3+ com o aumento da fO2. A equação do oxigênio barômetro desenvolvida neste estudo pode ser aplicada em rochas kimberlíticas de diferentes condições de fO2, que contêm CaTiO3-perovskita e olivina. Na presente pesquisa, nós aplicamos este oxigênio barômetro em amostras do kimberlito Rosário do Sul, que é um kimberlito transicional localizado no limite sudoeste da Bacia do Paraná. Os dados de minerais deste kimberlito sugerem que sua fonte é um produto da reação de um líquido silicático-carbonatítico com o manto. Idades U-Pb de ~ 128Ma em CaTiO3-perovskitas (Conceição et al., in prep.) revelam que o kimberlito Rosário do Sul provavelmente entrou em erupção logo após o vulcanismo da Província Paraná-Etendeka. Temperaturas de cristalização, pressões e fO2 dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I, outro importante kimberlito situado no sul do Brasil, foram calculadas. As condições de suas fontes foram estimadas usando diferentes métodos a partir das composições de olivinas, espinélios, CaTiO3-perovskitas, granadas, ortopiroxênios e clinopiroxênios. As temperaturas, pressões e condições de fO2 dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I sugerem que eles foram transportados para a superfície em condições nas quais fluidos ricos em CO2 podem reagir com o manto silicático e produzir carbonatos. A composição mineral e as condições de formação do kimberlito Rosário do Sul indicam que a sua fonte pode ter sido metassomatizada por fluidos provenientes da reciclagem de uma placa oceânica subductada durante a quebra do Gondwana e abertura do Atlântico Sul, logo depois do vulcanismo da Província Paraná-Etendeka. As condições de formação dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I são usadas também para estimar o potencial destes kimberlitos em preservar diamantes. / Kimberlites are volcanic rocks which often contain diamonds, graphite and/or carbonate, and the stability of these minerals is directly influenced by the variability of oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the magma during its ascent. Second Chakhmouradian and Mitchell (2000), CaTiO3-perovskites may be used to unravel the conditions of some of the multiple stages of crystallization in the magmatic history of these rocks. In order to establish oxygen fugacities of natural kimberlititic magmas, we experimentally equilibrated CaTiO3-perovskites with synthetic kimberlitic melts at high temperatures, different oxygen fugacities and different pressures. The experiments show that perovskite incorporates increasing amounts of Fe3+ with increasing fO2. The oxygen barometer equation developed in this study can be applied in kimberlite rocks that contain CaTiO3-perovskite and olivine from different fO2 conditions. In the present research, we applied this oxygen barometer in the Rosário do Sul kimberlite samples, which is a transitional kimberlite located in the southwestern edge of the Paraná Basin. The mineral data of this kimberlite suggest that its source is a product of the reaction of a silicate-carbonate liquid in the mantle. U-Pb ages of ~ 128 Ma on CaTiO3-perovskites (Conceição et al., in prep.) reveal that the Rosário do Sul kimberlite probably erupted just after the volcanism of Paraná-Etendeka Province. We calculated crystallization temperatures, pressures and oxygen fugacities (fO2) of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites, another important kimberlite situated in the South of Brazil. Their source conditions are estimated using different methods from olivines, spinels, CaTiO3-perovskites, garnets, orthopyroxenes and clinopyroxenes compositions. The calculated temperature, pressure and fO2 values of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites suggest that they were transported to the surface under fO2 conditions in which CO2-rich fluids may react with mantle silicates to produce carbonates. The mineral composition and fO2 conditions of Rosário do Sul kimberlite indicate that its source may have been metasomatized by fluids generated from the recycling of a subducted oceanic plate during the Gondwana breakup and the South Atlantic opening, just after the Paraná-Etendeka Province volcanism. The source conditions of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites are also used to estimate the potential of these kimberlites to preserve diamonds.

abstract: Oxygen fugacity (ƒO2) is a thermodynamic variable used to represent the redox state of a material or a system. It is equivalent to the partial pressure of oxygen in a particular environment corrected for the non-ideal behavior of the gas. ƒO2 is often used to indicate the potential for iron to occur in a more oxidized or reduced state at a particular temperature and pressure in a natural system. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a powerful analytical instrument that can be used to analyze elemental and isotopic compositional information about microscopic features within solid materials. SIMS analyses of the secondary ion energy distribution of semi-pure metals demonstrate that the energy spectrum of individual mass lines can provide information about alterations in its surface environment. The application of high-resolution (see Appendix C) energy spectrum calibrations to natural ilmenite led to the investigation of zirconium (90Zr+) and niobium (93Nb+) as potential indicators of sample ƒO2. Energy spectrum measurements were performed on an array of ilmenite crystals from the earth’s upper mantle retrieved from kimberlites and from a reduced meteorite. In all studied materials, variability in the peak shape and width of the energy spectra has been correlated with inferred sample ƒO2. The best descriptor of this relationship is the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM; see Appendix C) of the energy spectra for each sample. It has been estimated that a 1eV change in the FWHM of 93Nb+ energy spectra is roughly equivalent to 1 log unit ƒO2. Simple estimates of precision suggest the FWHM values can be trusted to  1eV and sample ƒO2 can be predicted to ±1 log unit, assuming the temperature of formation is known. The work of this thesis also explores the applicability of this technique beyond analysis of semi-pure metals and ilmenite crystals from kimberlites. This technique was applied to titanium oxides experimentally formed at known ƒO2 as well as an ilmenite crystal that showed compositional variations across the grain (i.e., core to rim chemical variations). Analyses of titanium oxides formed at known ƒO2 agree with the estimation that 1 eV change in the FWHM of 93Nb+ is equivalent to ~1 log unit ƒO2 (in all cases but one); this is also true for analyses of a natural ilmenite crystal with compositional variations across the grain. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Geological Sciences 2019

Kimberlitos são rochas vulcânicas que, frequentemente, contêm diamante, grafite e/ou carbonato, sendo a presença destes componentes diretamente influenciada pela variabilidade da fugacidade de oxigênio (fO2) do magma durante a sua ascenção. Segundo Chakhmouradian and Mitchell (2000), CaTiO3-perovskitas podem ser usadas para revelar as condições de alguns dos múltiplos estágios de cristalização da história magmática destas rochas. No intuito de estabelecer a fugacidade de oxigênio de magmas kimberlíticos naturais, CaTiO3-perovskitas foram cristalizadas experimentalmente em equilíbrio com um líquido kimberlítico sintético em altas temperaturas e diferentes condições de pressão e de fugacidade de oxigênio. Os experimentos mostraram que a perovskita incorporou maiores quantidades de Fe3+ com o aumento da fO2. A equação do oxigênio barômetro desenvolvida neste estudo pode ser aplicada em rochas kimberlíticas de diferentes condições de fO2, que contêm CaTiO3-perovskita e olivina. Na presente pesquisa, nós aplicamos este oxigênio barômetro em amostras do kimberlito Rosário do Sul, que é um kimberlito transicional localizado no limite sudoeste da Bacia do Paraná. Os dados de minerais deste kimberlito sugerem que sua fonte é um produto da reação de um líquido silicático-carbonatítico com o manto. Idades U-Pb de ~ 128Ma em CaTiO3-perovskitas (Conceição et al., in prep.) revelam que o kimberlito Rosário do Sul provavelmente entrou em erupção logo após o vulcanismo da Província Paraná-Etendeka. Temperaturas de cristalização, pressões e fO2 dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I, outro importante kimberlito situado no sul do Brasil, foram calculadas. As condições de suas fontes foram estimadas usando diferentes métodos a partir das composições de olivinas, espinélios, CaTiO3-perovskitas, granadas, ortopiroxênios e clinopiroxênios. As temperaturas, pressões e condições de fO2 dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I sugerem que eles foram transportados para a superfície em condições nas quais fluidos ricos em CO2 podem reagir com o manto silicático e produzir carbonatos. A composição mineral e as condições de formação do kimberlito Rosário do Sul indicam que a sua fonte pode ter sido metassomatizada por fluidos provenientes da reciclagem de uma placa oceânica subductada durante a quebra do Gondwana e abertura do Atlântico Sul, logo depois do vulcanismo da Província Paraná-Etendeka. As condições de formação dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I são usadas também para estimar o potencial destes kimberlitos em preservar diamantes. / Kimberlites are volcanic rocks which often contain diamonds, graphite and/or carbonate, and the stability of these minerals is directly influenced by the variability of oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the magma during its ascent. Second Chakhmouradian and Mitchell (2000), CaTiO3-perovskites may be used to unravel the conditions of some of the multiple stages of crystallization in the magmatic history of these rocks. In order to establish oxygen fugacities of natural kimberlititic magmas, we experimentally equilibrated CaTiO3-perovskites with synthetic kimberlitic melts at high temperatures, different oxygen fugacities and different pressures. The experiments show that perovskite incorporates increasing amounts of Fe3+ with increasing fO2. The oxygen barometer equation developed in this study can be applied in kimberlite rocks that contain CaTiO3-perovskite and olivine from different fO2 conditions. In the present research, we applied this oxygen barometer in the Rosário do Sul kimberlite samples, which is a transitional kimberlite located in the southwestern edge of the Paraná Basin. The mineral data of this kimberlite suggest that its source is a product of the reaction of a silicate-carbonate liquid in the mantle. U-Pb ages of ~ 128 Ma on CaTiO3-perovskites (Conceição et al., in prep.) reveal that the Rosário do Sul kimberlite probably erupted just after the volcanism of Paraná-Etendeka Province. We calculated crystallization temperatures, pressures and oxygen fugacities (fO2) of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites, another important kimberlite situated in the South of Brazil. Their source conditions are estimated using different methods from olivines, spinels, CaTiO3-perovskites, garnets, orthopyroxenes and clinopyroxenes compositions. The calculated temperature, pressure and fO2 values of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites suggest that they were transported to the surface under fO2 conditions in which CO2-rich fluids may react with mantle silicates to produce carbonates. The mineral composition and fO2 conditions of Rosário do Sul kimberlite indicate that its source may have been metasomatized by fluids generated from the recycling of a subducted oceanic plate during the Gondwana breakup and the South Atlantic opening, just after the Paraná-Etendeka Province volcanism. The source conditions of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites are also used to estimate the potential of these kimberlites to preserve diamonds.

Kimberlitos são rochas vulcânicas que, frequentemente, contêm diamante, grafite e/ou carbonato, sendo a presença destes componentes diretamente influenciada pela variabilidade da fugacidade de oxigênio (fO2) do magma durante a sua ascenção. Segundo Chakhmouradian and Mitchell (2000), CaTiO3-perovskitas podem ser usadas para revelar as condições de alguns dos múltiplos estágios de cristalização da história magmática destas rochas. No intuito de estabelecer a fugacidade de oxigênio de magmas kimberlíticos naturais, CaTiO3-perovskitas foram cristalizadas experimentalmente em equilíbrio com um líquido kimberlítico sintético em altas temperaturas e diferentes condições de pressão e de fugacidade de oxigênio. Os experimentos mostraram que a perovskita incorporou maiores quantidades de Fe3+ com o aumento da fO2. A equação do oxigênio barômetro desenvolvida neste estudo pode ser aplicada em rochas kimberlíticas de diferentes condições de fO2, que contêm CaTiO3-perovskita e olivina. Na presente pesquisa, nós aplicamos este oxigênio barômetro em amostras do kimberlito Rosário do Sul, que é um kimberlito transicional localizado no limite sudoeste da Bacia do Paraná. Os dados de minerais deste kimberlito sugerem que sua fonte é um produto da reação de um líquido silicático-carbonatítico com o manto. Idades U-Pb de ~ 128Ma em CaTiO3-perovskitas (Conceição et al., in prep.) revelam que o kimberlito Rosário do Sul provavelmente entrou em erupção logo após o vulcanismo da Província Paraná-Etendeka. Temperaturas de cristalização, pressões e fO2 dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I, outro importante kimberlito situado no sul do Brasil, foram calculadas. As condições de suas fontes foram estimadas usando diferentes métodos a partir das composições de olivinas, espinélios, CaTiO3-perovskitas, granadas, ortopiroxênios e clinopiroxênios. As temperaturas, pressões e condições de fO2 dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I sugerem que eles foram transportados para a superfície em condições nas quais fluidos ricos em CO2 podem reagir com o manto silicático e produzir carbonatos. A composição mineral e as condições de formação do kimberlito Rosário do Sul indicam que a sua fonte pode ter sido metassomatizada por fluidos provenientes da reciclagem de uma placa oceânica subductada durante a quebra do Gondwana e abertura do Atlântico Sul, logo depois do vulcanismo da Província Paraná-Etendeka. As condições de formação dos kimberlitos Rosário do Sul e Alfeu-I são usadas também para estimar o potencial destes kimberlitos em preservar diamantes. / Kimberlites are volcanic rocks which often contain diamonds, graphite and/or carbonate, and the stability of these minerals is directly influenced by the variability of oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the magma during its ascent. Second Chakhmouradian and Mitchell (2000), CaTiO3-perovskites may be used to unravel the conditions of some of the multiple stages of crystallization in the magmatic history of these rocks. In order to establish oxygen fugacities of natural kimberlititic magmas, we experimentally equilibrated CaTiO3-perovskites with synthetic kimberlitic melts at high temperatures, different oxygen fugacities and different pressures. The experiments show that perovskite incorporates increasing amounts of Fe3+ with increasing fO2. The oxygen barometer equation developed in this study can be applied in kimberlite rocks that contain CaTiO3-perovskite and olivine from different fO2 conditions. In the present research, we applied this oxygen barometer in the Rosário do Sul kimberlite samples, which is a transitional kimberlite located in the southwestern edge of the Paraná Basin. The mineral data of this kimberlite suggest that its source is a product of the reaction of a silicate-carbonate liquid in the mantle. U-Pb ages of ~ 128 Ma on CaTiO3-perovskites (Conceição et al., in prep.) reveal that the Rosário do Sul kimberlite probably erupted just after the volcanism of Paraná-Etendeka Province. We calculated crystallization temperatures, pressures and oxygen fugacities (fO2) of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites, another important kimberlite situated in the South of Brazil. Their source conditions are estimated using different methods from olivines, spinels, CaTiO3-perovskites, garnets, orthopyroxenes and clinopyroxenes compositions. The calculated temperature, pressure and fO2 values of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites suggest that they were transported to the surface under fO2 conditions in which CO2-rich fluids may react with mantle silicates to produce carbonates. The mineral composition and fO2 conditions of Rosário do Sul kimberlite indicate that its source may have been metasomatized by fluids generated from the recycling of a subducted oceanic plate during the Gondwana breakup and the South Atlantic opening, just after the Paraná-Etendeka Province volcanism. The source conditions of Rosário do Sul and Alfeu-I kimberlites are also used to estimate the potential of these kimberlites to preserve diamonds.

Olivine is the most abundant mineral in Earth's upper mantle and is one of the major minerals discovered in extraterrestrial objects. Its physical properties govern the dynamics of the upper mantle. The most dynamic regions of the upper mantle are sites where melting and melt segregation occurs. These regions are also the most variable in terms of their oxygen fugacity. We therefore conducted piston cylinder experiments to determine the intergranular melt distribution, and explore a range of oxygen buffers. We annealed olivine aggregates in metallic and graphite capsules to determine the oxygen fugacities set by the capsule materials. These experiments show that oxygen fugacities are below their corresponding metal-oxide buffers. The oxygen fugacity in nickel80-iron20 and graphite capsules most closely represents the intrinsic oxygen fugacity of Fo90 olivine, while iron capsules are too reducing perhaps explaining the formation of "dusty" olivine in chondrites. We annealed olivine-basalt aggregates in order to determine the melt distribution. The results show that the length of olivine grain boundaries wetted by melt (grain boundary wetness) increases with increasing melt content to values well above those predicted by a simplified model which is commonly applied to this system. At fixed melt content the grain boundary wetness increases with increasing grain size. These observations emphasize that the dihedral angle of the simplified system is not adequate to characterize the melt distribution in partially molten rocks. Our observations indicate that at upper mantle grain sizes the shear viscosity of partially molten rocks is one order of magnitude lower than predicted by the simplified model. Naturally partially molten rocks exist in the form of olivine-rich troctolites or plagioclase dunites, but the conditions for their formation are not entirely clear. We therefore conducted step-cooling experiments that indicate that slow cooling of samples with a steady-state microstructure reproduces the interstitial geometry observed in natural samples. The grain boundary wetness determined from the interstitial phases is somewhat reduced during slow cooling relative to samples quenched from high temperature. The microstructural similarity of experimental and natural samples suggests that mush zones identified beneath mid-ocean ridges may have lower melt contents than previously envisioned. / 2016-11-18T00:00:00Z