High Purity Quartz (HPQ; quartz containing less than 50 ppm trace elements) is of increasing economic significance due to its use in certain high-tech components (computer chip/semiconductor manufacture) and in green technologies (silicon wafer production). Current HPQ deposits (hydrothermal veins/leuco-granites/alaskites) are rare and volumetrically small. Unless significant new deposits are found, increasing demand will raise its prices, elevating the strategic nature of this limited commodity. The large volumes and simple mineralogy of pegmatites and the high chemical purity of their constituents make them an attractive target for HPQ. PhD studies are being carried out on quartz from the Evje-Iveland pegmatite field of the Bamble-Evje pegmatite cluster, southern Norway. The area was targeted due to its well constrained geological setting and previously identified potential for HPQ. The aim of the investigation is to develop exploration tools for HPQ by determining the genetic history of the pegmatites and mode of HPQ formation. The study is focussing on 7 pegmatites and their country rocks. Each shows typical pegmatite zonation, with quartz/feldspar intergrowths at the margins, a massive quartz core and a variety of accessory (including REE-bearing) phases. The proximal Høvringsvatnet granite was previously suggested to have supplied late-stage, highly fractionated melts to form the pegmatites. However, from their trace element systematics (no relationship was observed between trace element content and degree of fractionation in each pegmatite body), and a difference in U/Pb age of approximately 70 Ma, the pegmatites cannot be related to the granites. From field evidence (corroborated by geochemical modelling) the pegmatites formed by ‘in situ’ anatexis of country rocks; some locally, some from distal sources. Some pegmatites contain brecciated feldspar and replacement quartz. From LA-ICP-MS analyses, hydrothermal quartz, compared with magmatic quartz, typically contains lower quantities of trace elements. Hydrothermal material shows relatively elevated levels of Al and Li, low Ge and a complete absence of Ti, indicating relatively low temperature hydrothermal formation. Different quartz domains (from SEM-CL imaging) show distinct δ18O values; late stage low trace element zones show values consistent with meteorically derived fluids. In situ LA-ICP-MS studies will provide further information about the characteristics of the fluids which have replaced/refined magmatic quartz to form HPQ. This beneficiation process is a potential mechanism for the generation of economically significant HPQ deposits.

The Cortlandt Complex in New York is a composite intrusion of six mafic plutons and contains pelitic xenoliths that experienced extensive interaction with Mg-rich basaltic melt. The complex is an excellent natural example of ultra-high temperature (UHT) metamorphic processes and country rock-magma interaction due to mappable units of hybrid igneous rocks and the presence of large, partially melted, politic "emery" xenoliths. Previous attempts to understand the formation of the UHT xenoliths in the Cortlandt have provided the petrologic foundation for more rigorous thermodynamic modeling to determine the petrogenesis of these materials and to ultimately contribute to the understanding of UHT metamorphism in the Earth's crust. This work focuses on the development of hybrid monzonorites and emery at Salt Hill, located in the southeasternmost edge of the Cortlandt Complex. First, a thermobarometric study focuses on the P-T conditions of the country rock into which the Complex intruded. Pelitic schists from contact aureoles around a nearby pluton chemically and chronologically related to the complex, record high-P (~ 0.9 GPa, ~ 32 km depth) crustal conditions during pluton emplacement. This is interpreted to reflect loading due to the emplacement of Taconic allochthons during the waning stages of regional metamorphism before emplacement of the plutons. The second study uses thermodynamic heating calculations of pelitic schist to determine the production of norite and emery. Modeling results produce (i) an initial melt that produces a monzonorite composition when mixed with a mafic melt, (ii) a high-T melt that is texturally and compositionally homologous with quartzofeldspathic veins retained in the emery, and (iii) a residual mineral assemblage that, when oxidized, closely resembles the emery assemblage. Finally, focus is given to understanding the relationship between norite and emery and reflection on the mineralogy and structure of the lower crust-mantle boundary. Density calculations of the emery estimate values comparable to mantle densities, implying that rare exposure of UHT assemblages may be due to the fact the material stays at lower crustal (upper mantle?) depths. Therefore, the less-rare norite and other hybrid igneous rock occurrences may be the traces of deep, unexposed, UHT metamorphic assemblages. / Ph. D.

Thesis (DSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study has examined the 3 kbar partial melting behaviour of 4 metapelites collected from the highest grade rocks occurring below the anatectic zone of the Mt Stafford area, Arunta Inlier, central Australia. In this area, metasediments are interpreted to have undergone partial melting within the andalusite stability field, possibly as a result of a lowering of the metapelite solidus by the presence of boron in the rocks. Two of the samples were two mica metapelites (MTS70 and MTS71) that both contained significant quantities of tourmaline and were thus boron enriched. The other two samples were biotite metapelites. One of these rocks contains only a trace of tourmaline (MTS8) and the other is tourmaline free (MTS7). Despite expectations that muscovite in the two mica samples would break down via a subsolidus reaction, muscovite was stable to above 750 C due to the incorporation of Ti, phengitic and possibly F components into its structure. Between 750 and 800 C, muscovite melted out completely via a coupled muscovite + biotite fluid-absent incongruent reaction. In the most mica-rich sample this reaction produced ~ 60 % melt at 800 C. In the biotite metapelites, biotite melting began at a temperature below 800 C and was accompanied by very modest melt production at this low temperature. In contrast to the two mica metapelites, the main pulse of melt production in these samples occurred at a temperature between 850 and 950 C. In both these samples biotite + melt coexistence persisted for a temperature range in excess of 150 C, and in MTS8, biotite was still in the run products at 950 C. The very refractory nature of these evolved biotite compositions is most likely a consequence of both the presence of a Ti buffering phase in the assemblage (ilmenite) and the essentially plagioclase-free nature of the starting compositions. Under the fluid-absent conditions of this study tourmaline is clearly a reactant in the partial melting process, but does not appear to shift the fluid-absent incongruent melting reactions markedly. Neither quartz, nor andalusite was completely consumed in the melting reactions, indicating the metastable persistence of andalusite to higher than the wet solidus temperatures. The assemblages do not change much with increasing temperature and mimic the field relationships. The fluid-absent melting experiments indicated that the main pulse of melting occurred between 850 and 950 °C, significantly higher than indicated by the field evidence of 600 to 675 °C, therefor disequilibrium in the experiments can not be ruled out. The presence of a fluid during partial melting at Mt Stafford provides therefor an explanation of the low temperatures at which melting occurred. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die 3 Mpa vloeistof-vrye gedeeltelike smelting van 4 metapeliete, gekollekteer van die hoogste graad rotse net onder die anatektiese sone van die Mt Stafford area, Arunta inlêer, sentraal Australië, is bestudeer. Die metapeliete van hierdie area word geinterpreteer dat hulle gedeeltelike smelting in die andalusiet stabiliteitsveld ondergaan het, moontlik as 'n resultaat van die verlaging van die metapeliet solidus as gevolg van die teenwoordigheid van boor. Twee van die monsters bestudeer was twee-mika metapeliete (MTS70 en MTS71) met beduidende hoeveelhede toermalyn en is dus boor-verryk. Die ander twee monsters was biotiet metapeliete, waarvan een spoorhoeveelhede toermalyn (MTS8) bevat het en die ander toermalyn vry was (MTS7). Ten spyte van verwagtinge dat muskoviet in die twee mika monsters sou afbreek via 'n subsolidus reaksie, was dit stabiel tot bo 750°C as gevolg van die vervanging van Ti, fengitiese en moontlik F komponente in die muskoviet struktuur. Tussen 750 en 800°C het muskoviet heeltemal gesmelt deur die vloeistof-vrye gekoppelde muskoviet+biotiet reaksie. In die monster met die meeste mika het hierdie reaksie ~ 60 % gesmelt by 80°C en lae hoeveelhede smelt is by hierdie lae temperature geproduseer. In kontras met die twee-mika metapeliete het die hoof puls van smeltproduksie in hierdie monsters plaasgevind tussen 850 en 950°C. In beide hierdie monsters het biotiet+smelt 150°C. Biotiet was steeds ongesmelt in MTS8 by 950°. Die hoë refraktoriese natuur van hierdie biotiet samestellings is hoogs waarskynlik 'n gevolg van die teenwoordigheid van 'n Ti-bufferende fase (ilmenite) en die afwesigheid van plagioklaas in die begin samestellings. Toermalyn is duidelik 'n reaktant in hierdie vloeistof-vrye gedeeltelike smelting studie, maar dra nie beduidend by tot die verlaging van die inkongruente smeltingsreaksies nie. Nie kwarts of andalusiet het heeltemal gesmelt oor die temperatuurreeks nie, wat aandui dat die andalusiet stabiel is by temperature hoër as die nat solidus. Die mineraalverspreidings verander nie veel met verhoging in temperatuur nie en mimiek dus die veld verwantskappe. Die vloeistof-vrye smeltings eksperimente het aangedui dat die hoofpuls van smelting tussen 850 en 950°C geskied het, wat aansienlik hoër is soos aangedui uit die veldgetuienis van 600 tot 675°C, dus is die moontlikheid van disekwilibrium gedurende die eksperimente 'n moontlikheid. Die moontlikheid dat vloeistof teenwoordig was tydens die smeltproses by Mt Stafford verskaf dus 'n oplossing vir die lae temperature wat tydens smelting bereik is.

The melting of planetesimals was a widespread geologic phenomenon taking place in the early inner solar system. Petrologic and geochemical evidence shows that this melting frequently resulted in full differentiation of planetary bodies into a core, mantle, and crust. The extent of this early planetary melting is evidenced in the breadth of achondrite meteorites. In the achondrite meteorite group, there exist meteorites that experienced low degrees of melting, such that the parent body underwent partial melting and did not fully differentiate. These meteorites, called the primitive achondrites, are a window to the first stage of melting in the early solar system. The primitive achondrites with FeO-poor silicate compositions have been well-studied, but little is known about the formation conditions and history of the FeO-rich primitive achondrites, which includes the brachinites and several ungrouped meteorites.The brachinites are olivine-dominated meteorites with a recrystallized texture that show evidence of partial melting and melt removal on their parent body. The ungrouped primitive achondrites are also olivine-dominated meteorites with a recrystallized texture, but they exhibit a larger range in mineralogy with most being essentially chondritic and containing relict chondrules. In this dissertation, I present a study of the petrology, geochemistry and formation conditions of the FeO-rich primitive achondrites. I analyze the petrology and bulk composition of the meteorites, and I conduct thermodynamic modelling of the mineral assemblages to determine oxidation conditions during their formation. Finally, I attempt to simulate the formation of the brachinite meteorites through 1-atmosphere, gas-mixing partial melting experiments of an FeO-rich chondritic meteorite.These meteorites represent a continuum of partial melting, akin to that seen in the acapulcoite-lodranite clan of primitive achondrites. Mineral compositions and oxygen fugacity formation conditions indicate that the brachinites could have formed from a parent body much like the R chondrites. Gas-mixing, partial melting experiments of a R4 chondrite LaPaz Ice Field 03639 at 1250 °C and an oxygen fugacity of IW-1 create the mineralogy and mineral compositions of the brachinites. The experiments also confirm that the brachinites formed by the partial melting of an FeO-rich chondritic source and not as igneous cumulates.

Thesis advisor: Seth C. Kruckenberg / The Potters Pond migmatite domain (PPMD) is a heterogeneous zone of migmatites located ~10 km southwest of Cascade, Idaho within the western Idaho shear zone (WISZ). The PPMD is the only known exposure of migmatites within the WISZ over its ~300 km length, occurring where the shear zone orientation changes from 020° south to 000° north of the migmatite domain. Structural mapping within the PPMD has identified multiple generations of migmatite with varied structural fabrics. Leucosome layers were sampled from distinct migmatite localities and morphologies (e.g., metatexite, diatexite) to determine the timing and duration of partial melting in the PPMD. U-Pb age determinations of zircon by means of LA-ICP-MS document two periods of protracted migmatite crystallization during the Early and Late Cretaceous. Early Cretaceous (ca. 145 to 128 Ma) migmatite crystallization ages are coeval with the collision and suturing of oceanic terranes of the Blue Mountains province with North America, and the formation of the Salmon River suture zone (SRSZ). Migmatite crystallization ages from ca. 104 to 90 Ma are associated with Late Cretaceous dextral transpression in the WISZ. Field observations and geochronology of cross cutting leucosome relationships are interpreted to record deep crustal deformation and anatexis associated with formation of the SRSZ, subsequently overprinted by solid-state deformation and renewed anatexis during the evolution of the WISZ. These data are the first direct evidence of the synmetamorphic fabric related to the SRSZ east of the initial Sr 0.706 isopleth, and that the WISZ is a temporally distinct overprinting structure. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Exhumation of high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure eclogites in large orogens and associated petrological change during the process remain enigmatic problems. This dissertation examines eclogites from high-pressure (HP) and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terranes in the North-East Greenland Eclogite Province, aiming to decipher their metamorphic pressure-temperature (P-T) paths, evaluate spatial variation of P-T paths, and understand petrological changes during the exhumation. Kyanite-bearing UHP eclogites from North-East Greenland contain a peak mineral assemblage of phengite, garnet, omphacite, kyanite, coesite, rutile and probably epidote-group minerals. Thermodynamic modeling with an XRF-derived bulk composition yielded a peak P-T condition of 3.4 GPa and 920 °C. Petrographic textures, such as graphic intergrowth of amphibole and plagioclase, cusps of plagioclase into garnet and quartz, and neoblasts of garnet indicate that the eclogites were partially melted through dehydration melting of phengite and epidote-group minerals. Since thermodynamic modeling could not yield a satisfactory solidus curve, experimental phase relations were considered in interpreting the melting process, and show a near isothermal decompression path across the epidote mineral melting curve. Additional thermodynamic modeling of a symplectite after omphacite, consisting of amphibole, plagioclase and clinopyroxene, yields a P-T condition of ~ 1.2 GPa and 800 °C. Thermodynamic modeling of a melt pocket yields a further P-T constraint of 1.4 GPa and 740 °C. The HP zoisite eclogites from the Storstrømmen shear zone in the Sanddal area preserve partial melting textures both in garnet and in the matrix. The textures include multiphase solid inclusions of albite and K-feldspar in garnet, graphic intergrowth of amphibole and plagioclase, cuspate textures, and leucosome. Thermodynamic modeling combined with mineral composition and modes yielded an exhumation P-T path from subsolidus conditions at ~1.95 GPa and ~670 °C, to ~1.85 GPa and 715 °C at suprasolidus, to ~1.45 GPa and 640 °C. Paragonite, phengite, and amphibole were the major dehydration melted phases along the exhumation path. The HP kyanite eclogite from the Danmarkshavn area contains disequilibrium textures developed during retrograde stages. Petrographic observation documents two groups of textures: a strongly zoned plagioclase (anorthite to andesine) enclosing a poorly developed symplectite of sapphirine + spinel + plagioclase after kyanite, and a less zoned plagioclase (labradorite to andesine) enclosing a fully developed symplectite after kyanite. Thermodynamic modeling of the bulk rock returns a peak P-T condition of 1.9 GPa and 840 °C. Thermodynamic modeling of a symplectite domain yields poor P-T constraints of 0.8 – 1.3 GPa and 700 – 900 °C. Modeling also indicates the plagioclase development would be richer in Ca during decompression while progressive replacement of kyanite induced the plagioclase rim to be less Ca-rich. This study reveals that HP and UHP eclogites may experience partial melting on their exhumation path. Dehydration melting of hydrous minerals (e.g. phengite and zoisite) is the most plausible way in partially melt the eclogites, because of limited amounts of free fluid. The partial melting does not trigger exhumation of the eclogites, but may facilitate the exhumation process. The near-isothermal exhumation path for the UHP terranes suggests that it was initially exhumed through vertical extrusion. Lateral extrusion by the Storstrømmen and Germania Land shear zones is suggested to have further exhumed the HP and UHP rocks, which is analogous to the lateral escape tectonics in the Tibetan Plateau

Understanding U-series isotopic disequilibria of partially melted crust is integral for determining the effect that crustal assimilation has on the U-series signature of magmas. In this work, U, Th and Ba (as a proxy for Ra) elemental abundances were gathered on the quenched glass in partially melted crustal xenoliths of granitic composition using microbeam techniques. The crustal xenoliths, which are found in basaltic lava, from Mirador Volcano in Chile, are old, and can be assumed to be at secular equilibrium, whereas melting occurred during eruption of Mirador in 1979. A comparison of the ratios Ba/Th and U/Th in the partial melts with those of the whole rock reveal how much fractionation has occurred during partial melting. Different ratios of U, Th and Ba compared to the whole rock substantiate fractionation via partial melting. Thus, assimilation of partial melts of crust can play a role in U-series isotopic disequilibria.

The Enåsen gold deposit is located in Gävleborg county in central Sweden. Mining operations at Enåsen took place from 1984 to 1991 with Au as the main target for exploitation. The deposit has been interpreted as a metamorphosed Palaeoproterozoic analogue to near-recent epithermal Au mineralisations of a high sulphidation type. Its present mineralogy, textural-structural features, and morphology have been suggested to be the result of a combination of later deformation and regional Svecokarelian metamorphism at upper amphibolite to granulite facies conditions of the original epithermal deposit and it’s hydrothermally altered host rock. The main ore body now consists of a mineralised sillimanite quartzite gneiss. The aim of the project was to characterise the ore mineralogy, petrography and its paragenesis, evaluate the potential of Enåsen in terms of critical metals, and to test a hypothesis of partial ore melting.Among the most frequent ore minerals in the deposit are pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, bornite and tetrahedrite-tennantite, with variable but less abundant sulphides including covellite, digenite, mawsonite, stannite, arsenopyrite, cobaltite, galena, marcasite, sphalerite and pentlandite. Additionally, native gold, Se-bearing tellurobismuthite, hessite, tsumoite, pilsenite, rickardite, vulcanite, altaite, molybdenite, frohbergite, montbrayite, tellurantimony, löllingite and tellurbismuthantimony. While not an ore mineral here, rutile occurs abundantly. The ore mineral assemblages have seemingly at least partially melted. This is evidenced by failed quenching textures in the form of abundant multi-scale symplectites, potential sharp dihedral angles, localised concentrations of low melting point chalcophile elements (LMCE) + Au and Ag and arrays of multiphase sulphide/sulphosalt ± gold inclusions, as well as available mineral stability data considering that the ore assemblages have been subjected to upper amphibolite/granulite facies conditions followed by ductile and brittle deformation stages. Some ore mineral relationships have been described. Further studies would be required for a full paragenesis. The potential of Enåsen type deposits in terms of critical or near critical metals and semi-metals is likely to be as biproduct extraction in a mining operation aimed at gold. The most relevant element is likely to be bismuth, followed by tellurium and antimony.

On propose traditionnellement que les panaches mantelliques jouent un rôle important dans l'amincissement de la lithosphère. Des données sismologiques sous Hawaïi et Cape Verde suggèrent une limite lithosphère-asthénosphère (LAB) jusqu'à 50 km plus superficielle qu'autour. Des modèles numériques ont montré, en effet, qu'une convection à petite échelle (SSC, pour small-scale convection) dans la couche à faible viscosité formée à la base de la lithosphère par l'accumulation de la matière des panaches peut être un mécanisme efficace d'érosion du manteau lithosphérique. Cependant, ces modèles montrent que, si la plaque se déplace, l'érosion thermo-mécanique de la lithosphère ne dépasse pas 30 km. Afin de mieux étudier les interactions panache/lithosphère, et d'ainsi caractériser les paramètres contrôlant cette érosion, nous avons effectué des simulations numériques en 2D qui utilisent un modèle pétro-thermomécanique basé sur des approches en différences finies associées à des marqueurs actifs. Nous avons focalisé sur : (1) la dynamique de la SSC dans la couche à faible viscosité formée par étalement du panache à la base de la lithosphère et (2) l'effet de la fusion partielle sur cette dynamique. La plaque lithosphérique et le manteau sous-jacent sont caractérisés par une composition péridotitique homogène à viscosité newtonienne dépendante de la température et de la pression. Une vitesse constante, comprise entre 5 et 12,5 cm/an, est imposée au sommet de la plaque. Les panaches sont créés en imposant une anomalie thermique de 150 à 350 K en base du modèle (700 km de profondeur). La fusion partielle est calculée à partir d'un paramétrization des solidus et liquidus pour la fusion anhydre des péridotites. Nous modélisons la déplétion de la péridotite et son effet sur la fusion partielle en supposant que le degré de fusion ne peut qu'augmenter au cours du temps. Le liquide est accumulé jusqu'à un seuil et la masse fondue en excès est extraite instantanément. La rhéologie de la péridotite partiellement fondue est déterminée utilisant une constitutive relation basée sur un modèle de contiguïté, qui permet de prendre en compte les effets de la distribution de matière liquide à l'échelle de grain. La densité varie en fonction du degré de fusion partielle et de la déplétion du résidu solide. Nous analysons la cinématique du panache lors de son interaction avec une plaque mobile, la dynamique de la convection à petite-échelle (SSC) et le rajeunissement thermique de la lithosphère qui en résulte. Le temps de démarrage et la vigueur de la SSC et, par conséquent, le nouvel état d'équilibre thermique de la lithosphère à l'aplomb du panache dépendent du nombre de Rayleigh (Ra) dans la couche instable à la base de la lithosphère, qui est contrôlé par l'anomalie de température et la rhéologie dans cette couche. Pour des panaches chauds et vigoureux, le démarrage de la SSC ne dépend pas de la vitesse de la plaque. Pour des panaches plus faibles, le temps de démarrage diminue avec l'augmentation de la vitesse de la plaque. Ce comportement est expliqué par une différence dans la structure thermique de la lithosphère, due à des échanges diffusifs à la base lithosphère plus efficaces pour des panaches lents. La diminution de la viscosité associée à la présence de magma et la diminution de la densité du résidu solide accélèrent le démarrage et accroissent la vigueur de la SSC, entraînant une érosion plus efficace et plus proche du point d'impact de panache sous la lithosphère. / Mantle plumes are traditionally proposed to play an important role in thinning the lithosphere. Seismic images beneath Hawaii and Cape Verde, for instance, show a lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) up to 50 km shallower than the surroundings. However, previous numerical modeling of plume-lithosphere interaction implies that unless the plate is stationary the thermo-mechanical erosion of the lithosphere does not exceed 30 km. We used 2D petrological-thermo-mechanical numerical models based on a finite-difference method on a staggered grid and marker in cell method to further study the plume-lithosphere interaction. We focused on: (1) analyzing the dynamics of the small-scale convection (SSC) in the plume wake as a function of the plume vigor and plate velocity and (2) quantifying the effect of partial melting on this SSC. A homogeneous peridotite composition with a Newtonian temperature- and pressure-dependent viscosity is used to simulate both the plate and the convective mantle. A constant velocity, ranging from 5 to 12.5 cm/yr, is imposed at the top of the plate. Plumes are created by imposing a thermal anomaly of 150 to 350 K on a 50 km wide domain at the base of the model (700 km depth); the plate right above the thermal anomaly is 40 Myr old. Partial melting is modeled using the batch-melting solidus and liquidus in anhydrous conditions. We model the progressive depletion of peridotite and its effect on partial melting by assuming that the melting degree only strictly increases through time. Melt is accumulated until a porosity threshold is reached and the excess melt is instantaneously extracted. The rheology of the partially molten peridotite is determined using a viscous constitutive relationship based on a contiguity model, which enables to take into account the effects of grain-scale melt distribution. The density varies as a function of the melt fraction and of the depletion of the residue. We analyze the kinematics of the plume as it impacts a moving plate, the dynamics of time-dependent small-scale convection (SSC) instabilities developing in the low-viscosity layer formed by spreading of hot plume material at the lithosphere base, and the resulting thermal rejuvenation of the lithosphere. The onset time and the vigor of SSC and, hence, the new equilibrium thermal state of the lithosphere atop the plume wake depends on the Rayleigh number (Ra) in the unstable layer at the base of the lithosphere, which is controlled by the temperature anomaly and rheology in the plume-fed layer. For vigorous, hot plumes, SSC onset times do not depend on plate velocity. For more sluggish plumes, SSC onset times decrease with increasing plate velocity. This behavior is explained by differences in the thermal structure of the lithosphere, due to variations in the spreading behavior of the plume material at the lithosphere base. Reduction of the viscosity in partial molten domains and decrease in density of the depleted residuum accelerate and enhance the vigor of small-scale convection in the plume-fed low-viscosity layer at the lithosphere base. It also reduces SSC onset times, leading to more effective erosion closer to the plume-lithosphere impact.

Les données électromagnétiques imagent des zones du manteau plus conductrice que l’olivine sèche. Il y a peu d’ambiguïté sur le fait qu’un liquide est thermodynamiquement stable et présent au niveau de l’asthénosphère, mais son impact sur la conductivité électrique du manteau reste débattu. Les études pétrologiques réalisées ces 30 dernières années ont montré qu’une péridotite exposée aux conditions the P-T-fO₂ de l’asthénosphère produisait des liquides riches en H₂O and CO₂, mais les conductivités électriques de ces liquides sont mal connues. Pour cette raison, des expériences de conductivité électrique ont été réalisées en piston cylindre sur des liquides riches en H₂O and CO₂. Différentes compositions de liquides ont été explorées, des liquides carbonatés aux basaltes. Les effets de la composition chimique et des volatiles sur ces liquides ont été déterminés. Les mesures de conductivités électriques ont montré que les liquides hydratés et carbonatés sont très conducteurs, et que l’incorporation de basalte décroit la conductivité. Avec ces nouvelles données, un modèle semi-empirique calculant la conductivité en fonction des teneurs en H₂O and CO₂ a été produit. Sur la base de ce modèle et de la conductivité électrique de l’olivine, des profils 1D de conductivité ont été construits. Avec ces profils, l’effet des teneurs en volatiles (partagé entre le liquide et le solide), les fractions de liquides (loi de mélange et interconnexion du liquide) et les différents régimes de température sur la conductivité ont été discutés. Ces calculs ont été considérés en milieu océanique et continental pour différents âges. La conductivité électrique du manteau est donc un outil puissant pour suivre les processus fondamentaux de la fusion du manteau, qui est à son tour étroitement liée aux cycles de H₂O and CO₂ dans le manteau supérieur. / Electromagnetic data images mantle regions more conductive than that of dry olivine. There is no doubt that melt is thermodynamically stable and present in the asthenosphere, but how they can impact on mantle electrical conductivity remains debated. Petrological studies realized some 30 years ago have shown that peridotites exposed at the P-T-fO₂ conditions of the asthenosphere produced H₂O and CO₂ rich-melts, but electrical conductivities of these melts are poorly known. Therefore, electrical conductivity experiments have been performed in piston cylinder on H₂O-CO₂ rich melts. Different melt compositions have been explored, from carbonated melts to basalts. The effects of chemical compositions and volatiles on these melts have been determined. The electrical conductivity measurements have shown that hydrous carbonated melts are very conductive, and the incorporation of basalt decreases the conductivity. With these new data, a semi-empirical law predicting the conductivity as a function of H₂O and CO₂ contents has been produced. Based on this law and the electrical conductivity of olivine, 1D conductivity profiles were constructed. With these profiles, the effect of volatile contents (partitioned between the melt and in the solids), melt fractions (mixing law and interconnection of the melt) and different temperature regimes on conductivity are discussed. These calculations are conducted on oceanic and continental settings with different ages. The electrical conductivities of the mantle is thus a powerful tool to track the fundamental process of mantle partial melting, which is in turn narrowly associated to the cycling of H₂O and CO₂ in the upper mantle.