Crystallization of late-stage MORB under varying water activities and redox conditions: Implications for the formation of highly evolved lavas and oxide gabbro in the ocean crust
Abstract In order to understand late magmatic processes that occur in the deep oceanic crust, we performed a phase-equilibria study in a representative late-stage system at a pressure of 200 MPa with a special focus on the role of water and oxygen fugacity. The starting composition for the experiments was evaluated based on a statistical approach using evolved fresh MORB glasses from the database PETDB highest in FeO and TiO2 (in average 17.92 wt% and 3.73 wt%, respectively), assumed to represent frozen liquids erupted at the seafloor generated by extensive differentiation of MORB. We conducted crystallization experiments in a range of temperatures from 850 to 1050 °C with water activities …