Experimental Determination of Near Solidus Melts to Spinel and Garnet Peridotite

这项研究计划的目的是通过实验确定地球上地幔极少量熔融产生的熔体的组成。这种熔体的性质、组成和最终命运对于我们理解熔体的产生、熔体的输运以及从洋底和大洋岛屿上的大洋玄武岩带到地球表面的地幔样品中观察到的地幔不均一性的产生是重要的关键。我们未能理解这种玄武岩的详细地球化学性质是如何产生的，这在很大程度上可能是由于地幔熔融开始时产生的熔体的普遍存在和不寻常的化学成分造成的。这些实验将限制复杂的熔融过程，这些过程在地球上产生了种类繁多的玄武岩，甚至在其他星球上也是如此。

9902684HessThe purpose of this research proposal is to determine by experiment the compositions of melts produced by extremely small degrees of melting of the Earth's upper mantle. The properties, compositions and the ultimate fate of such melts are important keys for our understanding of melt generation, melt transport and the creation of mantle heterogeneity as observed in mantle samples brought to the earth's surface by oceanic basalts on the ocean floor and oceanic islands. Our failure to understand how the detailed geochemical properties of such basalts arise may largely be the result of the ubiquity and unusual chemical compositions of melts produced at the initiation of melting in the mantle. These experiments will constrain the complex melt processes that operate to produce the vast variety of basalts on Earth, and indeed, even on other planets.