Application of the Linkam TS1400XY heating stage to melt inclusion studies

Melt inclusions (MI) trapped in igneous phenocrysts provide one of the best tools available for characterizing magmatic processes. Some MI experience post-entrapment modifications, including crystallization of material on the walls, formation of a vapor bubble containing volatiles originally dissolved in the melt, or partial to complete crystallization of the melt. In these cases, laboratory heating may be necessary to return the MI to its original homogeneous melt state, followed by rapid quenching of the melt to produce a homogeneous glass phase, before microanalyses can be undertaken.

Here we describe a series of heating experiments that have been performed on crystallized MI hosted in olivine, clinopyroxene and quartz phenocrysts, using the Linkam TS1400XY microscope heating stage. During the experiments, we have recorded the melting behaviors of the MI up to a maximum temperature of 1360°C. In most of the experiments, the MI were homogenized completely (without crystals or bubbles) and remained homogeneous during quenching to room temperature. The resulting single phase MI contained a homogeneous glass phase. These tests demonstrate the applicability of the Linkam TS1400XY microscope heating stage to homogenize and quench MI to produce homogeneous glasses that can be analyzed with various techniques such as Electron Microprobe (EMP), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), Laser ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA ICP-MS), Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, etc.

During heating experiments, the optical quality varied greatly between samples and was a function of not only the temperature of observation, but also on the amount of matrix glass attached to the phenocryst, the presence of other MI in the sample which are connected to the outside of the crystal, and the existence of mineral inclusions in the host.