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The application of melt inclusions (MI) to infer magmatic processes assumes the MI have remained as constant mass, constant volume systems since the time of trapping. Understanding the effects of both compositional and volumetric re‐equilibration is key for the interpretation of MI data. Although the re‐equilibration behavior MI in quartz and olivine has been studied in some detail, the process is less understood for other MI host phases such as plagioclase, a common phase in igneous rocks. A MI can re‐equilibrate when it experiences pressure and temperature (PT) conditions that differ from formation PT conditions. During laboratory heating, irreversible MI expansion may occur. As a result, the internal pressure within the MI decreases, resulting in chemical and structural changes to the MI and host. We present results of heating experiments on plagioclase‐hosted MI designed to induce volumetric re‐equilibration. The experiments consisted of incrementally heating the MI to temperatures above the homogenization temperatures. At ∼40°C above, the temperature at which the daughter minerals melted, irreversible volume expansion lowered the pressure in the MI, and led to exsolution of CO₂into vapor bubbles. With each additional few degrees of heating, additional episodes of CO₂exsolution, bubble nucleation and expansion of the vapor bubblesoccurred. Re‐equilibration of MI in plagioclase occurred through a combination of ductile and brittle deformation of the host surrounding the MI, whereas previous studies have shown that MI in olivine re‐equilibrate dominantly through ductile deformation associated with movement along dislocations. This behavior is consistent with the differing rheological properties of these phases.

 

Interpretation of erupted products we observe on the seafloor requires that we understand the petrogenesis of melts in the oceanic crust and where crystallization initially takes place. Our work focuses on estimating depth of crystallization of the plagioclase megacrysts using CO2 and H2O concentrations from plagioclase ultraphyric basalts (PUBs). Samples were analyzed from the Lucky Strike segment on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and from three locations on the Juan de Fuca Ridge (West Valley, Endeavor Segment, and Axial Segment). Melt inclusions were re-homogenized to remove the effects of post-entrapment crystallization. The CO2 in the vapor bubbles present in the melt inclusions were analyzed at Virginia Tech using Raman spectroscopy, and associated glassy melt inclusions were analyzed at WHOI using the ion microprobe for CO2 and H2O. Vapor-saturation pressures calculated from these volatiles stored in melt inclusions and vapor bubbles range from 359-3994 bars, corresponding to depths of 1.0-11.4 km below the sea floor. The proportion of CO2 partitioned in the bubbles range from 11-98%. In summary, about 14% of the melt inclusions from Lucky Strike record crystallization depths of 3-4 km, consistent with the depth of the seismically imaged melt lens, whereas ~55% of melt inclusions crystallized at depths >4 km with a maximum at 9.8 km. These data are similar to depths of formation determined through olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the same segment (Wanless et al., 2015), although a greater portion of plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions record crystallization below the melt lens. At the Juan de Fuca ridge, ~24% of the melt inclusions record crystallization depths of 2-3 km, consistent with a seismically imaged mid-crustal magma chamber at the Endeavor Segment, while an additional ~62% crystallize at depths >3 km with a maximum at 11.4 km. This suggests that while crystallization can be focused within the melt lenses and magma chambers at these ridge localities, a significant and greater proportion of the megacrysts were sampled from the lower crust or upper mantle.