G 445/545
Geochemistry
PROBLEM SET 1

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Problems 1-11 to be completed by all students:
 

1. What is the (a) weight % and (b) mol% and atom % concentration of Cr in the mineral chromite (FeCr2O4)?
 

2. Table 1 shows the partial analysis of a deep sea sediment composed of quartz, clay, and carbonates. Calculate the abundance of each mineral phase in the sample.

        Table 1
wt% sediment quartz clay carbonate
SiO2 45.7 100 51.4 0
Al2O3 13.2 0 26.4 0
CaO 16.5 0 0 55

3. At a given locality at the bottom of the ocean, the rate of sedimentation is 10 mm/1000 years. The density of the sediment is 2.0 g/cm3, and its phosphorus content is 0.65 wt%. What is the advection flux of P in kg/m2 per million years?
 

4. Partial melting of a peridotite in Earth's mantle produces basaltic liquids, which you will model assuming equilibrium (batch) partial melting. (a) Calculate the bulk partition coefficient for Ni, La, and Yb assuming the mineral/melt partition coefficients given in Table 2, if the residuum contains 70 wt% olivine (ol), 20 wt% orthopyroxene (opx), and 10 wt% clinopyroxene (cpx). (b) If the peridotite source contains 2500 ppm Ni, 0.5 ppm La, and 0.4 ppm Yb, calculate the concentrations of Ni, La, Yb and the La/Yb ratio in melts produced for melt fractions of 0.002, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.1.

        Table 2
element i Ni La Yb
Dol/liq 10 0 0
Dopx/liq 1 0 0.05
Dcpx/liq 1 0.01 0.3

5. Table 3 lists Sm-Nd isotope data for Apollo 17 basalt 75075. Plot the results in a 143Nd/144Nd vs 147Sm/144Nd isochron diagram, draw the isochron, and determine the age of this basalt. Express your answer to 3 significant digits. Decay constant for 147Sm = 0.654 x 10-11 a-1.

      Table 3.  Sm-Nd isotope data for lunar basalt.
147Sm/144Nd 143Nd/144Nd
plagioclase 0.1942 0.51300
ilmenite 0.2416 0.51417
whole-rock 0.2566 0.51454
pyroxene 0.2930 0.51542

6. For water that contains del18O = -10 per mil, calculate the value of del18O of calcite precipitated in equilibrium at 5oC. Use the data given in Fig 2-13 of your Text, and assume that 1000 x ln (alpha) = delta, where alpha and delta (capital delta) are the greek symbols given in class and your Text.
 

7. For an extinct radionuclide, the slope of a correlation line in an isochron diagram for D*/D vs P/D was said to equal (P*/P), where P* = the amount of short-lived parent isotope, P = the amount of stable parent isotope, D* = the amount of daughter isotope produced by radioactive decay, and D = the amount of daughter isotope not involved in decay. It was also said that this slope was related to age. (a) For a generic short-lived decay scheme, write an expression that relates the (P*/P) ratio to the time elapsed (t), assuming that the amount of radiogenic parent initially is given by P*o. (b) Use your expression from part a to calculate the time elapsed between the formation of two objects in meteorites in which the decay of now-extinct 26Al appears to have occurred, one of which has (26Al*/27Al) = 5 x 10-5 (object A), the other of which has (26Al*/27Al) = 0.3 x 10-5 (object B). Round your answer to 2 significant digits. (Objects A and B correspond to most "CAIs" and some "chondrules", respectively, which are objects found in chondritic meteorites that appear to have pre-dated planetary formation.) HINT: Assume that object A gives the initial P*/P ratio. Decay constant for 26Al = 9.80 x 10-7 a-1.
 

8. Consider reaction [1]:

CaCO3       =     CaCO3                    [1]
aragonite          calcite

(a) Calculate the deltar G for reaction [1] using the data in Table 3-2 of your Text, assuming pure phases and standard state conditions. (b) At 25 oC and 1 atm, in which direction will reaction [1] proceed and which carbonate is more stable? (c) Consider a situation in which pure aragonite and calcite are in equilibrium. What is deltar G for reaction [1] in this case?
 

9. Calculate deltar G for reaction [1] at a temperature of 25 oC and a pressure of 5 Kb (~5000 atm) assuming pure carbonate phases, and that deltar V = constant with pressure. The molar volumes of aragonite and calcite are Voarag = 34.150 cm3/mol and Vocalcite = 36.934 cm3/mol. 1 cm3 = 0.0239 cal/bar. At T = 25 oC and P = 5 Kb, in which direction will reaction [1] /proceed, and which carbonate is more stable?
 

10. A metamorphic rock is observed to contain plagioclase, sillimanite, quartz, and garnet. These minerals are observed to have various degrees of purity. Write a balanced reaction [2] for equilibrium between the endmember anorthite component (CaAl2Si2O8) in plagioclase, the Al2SiO5 component in sillimanite, the SiO2 component in quartz, and the grossular (Ca3Al2Si3O12) component in garnet. That is, write a balanced reaction between these endmember mineral compositions.
 

11.  (a) How many degrees of freedom are represented by reaction [2]? (b) What kind of equilibrium does this represent?
 


Additional problems 12-18 to be completed by G545 students:

12. The del 18O value of modern seawater is 0 ‰ while the average value of the polar icecap is -45 ‰. The ice cap holds 2 wt% of the oceanic water. (a) Calculate the del 18O value of an ice-free ocean. (b) Estimates suggest that during the last glacial maximum ~20,000 years ago, the amount of ice on Earth was roughly twice that of present. Assuming this ice had del 18O = -45 ‰, calculate the del 18O value expected for seawater during the last glacial maximum.
 

13. Graphically illustrate siderophile, chalcophile, and lithophile tendencies for a variety of elements using the data given in the class handout given in Lecture 2 (Table IV-8A; Li, 2000). Equate siderophile tendency with the concentration ratio = [abundance in metal]/[abundance in bulk meteorite], chalcophile tendency with the concentration ratio = [abundance in troilite (or FeS)]/[abundance in bulk meteorite], and lithophile tendency with the concentration ratio = [average abundance in silicate, oxide, and phosphate]/[abundance in bulk meteorite] = [mean abundance in olivine + hypersthene + plagioclase + chromite + phosphate + diopside]/[abundance in bulk meteorite]. Plot different elements along the x-axis, and concentration ratio along the y-axis. Group elements with primarily siderophile, chalcophile, and lithophile tendencies together. Your graph should have three plots on it ("metal/bulk" etc.), each labeled. For the y-axis, use a logarithmic scale and make sure to label it. Consider the following elements: Co, Cr, Cu, Ga, In, Mn, Ni, Sc, Se, Sr, Ti, V, Y, Zn, Zr, rare earth elements (La to Yb), P, Hf, Th, and U. Assume that the concentration of an element in a phase is zero if data for it are not given in the table; assume the concentration is the upper limit when this is given.

Based on these data, which elements are "siderophile", "chalcophile", and "lithophile"?
 

14. Calculate the value dP/dT (in bar/oC) for the equilibrium expressed by reaction [1] (Q8), assuming deltar V = constant and deltar Cp = 0. Use the conversion factor 1 cm3 = 0.1 J/bar = 0.0239 cal/bar.
 

15. Construct a P-T diagram (y-axis = pressure, x-axis = temperature) for the equilibrium represented by reaction [1]. Label the stability fields for aragonite and calcite.
 

16. Assuming equilibrium for reaction [2] (Q10), write an expression which shows how the equilibrium constant is related to pressure and temperature of equilibrium. Use this expression to solve for pressure as a function of temperature and equilibrium constant, assuming deltar V = constant and deltar Cp = 0. HINT: First show how equilibrium constant is related to G, then expand G in terms of its dependence on H and S and other variables.
 

17. Using your expression from Q16, calculate for reaction [2] the equilibrium pressure (in bars) corresponding to a temperature of 900 K. Use the data given in Table 4, and assume the following for activities: quartz and sillimanite can be approximated as pure phases, the activity of anorthite in plagioclase = 0.2, and the activity of grossular in garnet = 0.1.

       Table 4.  Thermodynamic data for 1 bar and 298 K.
So (J/mol-K) delta Hfo (kJ/mol) Vo (cm3/mol)
anorthite 199.3 -4234.0 100.79
sillimanite 95.4 -2586.1 49.9
quartz 41.46 -910.7 22.688
grossular 260.1 -6640.0 125.33

18. A roughly spherical garnet crystal 1 cm in diameter contains a uniform concentration of 1 ppm Nd in its core, and a rim of thickness L = 0.1 microns in which the Nd concentration is depleted as a result of diffusive loss during metamorphism occurring at 800 oC. Assuming that the concentration decreases linearly in the depleted zone, between zero at the crystal surface and the uniform core value, that the density of the garnet is 3.5 g/cm3 , and that the diffusion parameters for Nd in garnet are given by Do = 10-9.2 cm2/s and Q = 300 KJ/mol: (a) calculate the value of the diffusion coefficient at 800 oC, and (b) calculate the total flux of Nd in kg/s out of the garnet, assuming a  perfectly spherical crystal that is large compared to the size of the boundary layer (that is, neglect the thickness of the boundary layer).  HINT: Note that for the flux in part b, I am asking for an answer in terms of kg/s.
 


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