Energetics of melts from thermal diffusion studies. FY 1996 progress report

This research program characterizes mass transport by diffusion in geological fluids in response to thermal, solubility, and/or chemical gradients to obtain quantitative information on the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of multicomponent systems. Silicate liquids undergo substantial thermal diffusion (Soret) differentiation, while the response in sulfide, carbonate, and aqueous fluids to an imposed temperature gradient is varied. The experimental observations of this differentiation are used to evaluate the form and quantitative values of solution parameters, and to quantify ordinary diffusion coefficients, heats of transport, and activation energies of multicomponent liquids. The diffusion, solution, and element partition coefficients determined for these geological fluids form a data base for understanding magmatic crystallization behavior and for evaluating geothermal, ore deposit, and nuclear waste isolation potentials