Water distribution and its diffusivity associated with solution-precipitation creep

Abstract

Under middle-upper crustal conditions, there is the system that solution-precipitation creep of minerals can be dominant in addition to dislocation creep of quartz. Feldspar is the major constituent in the crust as well as quartz, and its solution-precipitation creep has recently been focused. However, there are a lot of points to be considered for solution-precipitation creep of feldspar, and in this study we discuss: (1) microstructures of K-feldspar involved in solution-precipitation process by mapping measurements of electron-backscatter-diffraction, (2) water distribution by mapping measurements of infrared spectroscopy, and (3) quantitative estimation of diffusivity at intergranular regions by using an analogue by high temperature in-situ infrared spectroscopy.