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Abstract

The solubility of N2 in basaltic (MORB) and haplogranitic melts was studied at oxidizing conditions (oxygen fugacity about two log units above the Ni–NiO buffer). Under these conditions, N2 is expected to be the only significant nitrogen species present in the melt. Experiments were carried out from 0.1 to 2 GPa and 1000–1450 ˚C using either an externally heated TZM pressure vessel, an internally heated gas pressure vessel or a piston cylinder apparatus. Nitrogen contents in run product glasses were quantified by SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry). To discriminate against atmospheric contamination, 15N-enriched AgN3 was used as the nitrogen source in the experiments. According to infrared and Raman spectra, run product glasses contain N2 as their only dissolved nitrogen species. Due to interactions with the matrix, the N2 molecule becomes slightly infrared active. Nitrogen solubility in the melts increases linearly with pressure over the entire range studied; the effect of temperature on solubility is small. The data may, therefore, be described by simple Henry constants Khaplogranite = (1461 ± 26) ppm N2/GPa and KMORB = (449 ± 21) ppm N2/GPa, recalculated to ppm by weight (μg/g) of isotopically normal samples. These equations describe the solubility of nitrogen during MORB generation and during melting in the crust, as we show by thermodynamic analysis that N2 is the only significant nitrogen species in these environments. Nitrogen solubility in the haplogranitic melt is about three times larger than for the MORB melt, as is expected from ionic porosity considerations. If expressed on a molar basis, nitrogen solubility is significantly lower than argon solubility, in accordance with the larger size of the N2 molecule. Notably, N2 solubility in felsic melts is also much lower than CO2 solubility, even on a molar basis. This implies that the exsolution of nitrogen may drive vapor oversaturation in felsic melts derived from nitrogen-rich sediments. We also measured the partitioning of nitrogen between olivine, pyroxenes, plagioclase, garnet, and basaltic melt by slowly cooling MORB melts to sub-liquidus temperatures to grow large crystals. The mineral/melt partition coefficients of nitrogen range from 0.001 to 0.002, and are similar to argon partition coefficients. These new data, therefore, support the assumption that there is little fractionation between nitrogen and argon during mantle melting and that the N2/Ar ratio in basalts and xenoliths is, therefore, representative of the N2/Ar ratio in the mantle source. This assumption is essential for assessing the size of the nitrogen reservoir in the mantle. Our data also show that for an upper mantle oxidation state that is similar to the one observed today, nitrogen outgassing by partial melting is extremely efficient and even low melt fractions in the range of a few percent may extract nearly all nitrogen from the mantle source.