Solubility of niobium in the system CaCO3–CaF2–NaNbO3 at 0.1 GPa pressure: implications for the crystallization of pyrochlore from carbonatite magma

摘要

Experimental data are presented for the solubility of NaNbO3 in the ternary system CaCO3–CaF2–NaNbO3 (or calcite–fluorite–lueshite) over the temperature range 500–1,000°C at 0.1 GPa pressure. Liquidus to solidus phase relationships are given for the pseudo-binary join ([CaCO3]60[CaF2]40)100-x –(NaNbO3) x (0 in these liquids is about 17 wt% (or 13.8 wt% Nb2O5) at approximately 930°C, and is represented by the appearance of pyrochlore as the primary liquidus phase. The sub-liquidus assemblages with decreasing temperature for NaNbO3 contents of 20–50 wt% are: pyrochlore + liquid; pyrochlore + CaF2 + liquid; pyrochlore + CaF2 + CaCO3 + liquid. The solidus assemblage is pyrochlore + CaF2 + CaCO3 at temperatures of approximately 700°C (20 wt% NaNbO3) and 600°C (40 wt% NaNbO3). NaNbO3 is present only in sub-solidus assemblages. These data show that in this fluorine-bearing anhydrous system pyrochlore is the principal Nb-hosting supra-solidus phase, in contrast to fluorine-free hydrous melts from which perovskite-structured compounds crystallize. The crystallization of pyrochlore and/or perovskite-structured compounds from haplocarbonatite liquids is thus considered to be dependent upon the F/OH ratio of the melt.