In all previous experimental studies on silicate systems, only nucleation densities and apparent growth rates were measured. Since growth of crystals in m, agma is regarded as solution growth, the nucleation density divided by time
N/t and the apparent growth rate
R* do not directly represent the nucleation rate
I and the “real” growth rate
R, respectively. In this study, a series of experiments of isothermal crystallization of plagioclase has been carried out to determine the nucleation and the “real” growth rates using a natural basalt collected at Maegatake in Adatara-yama, Japan. The results indicate that the curves of the nucleation and the “real” growth rates vs.
ΔT are different from the curves of the nucleation density and the apparent growth rate vs.
ΔT. Thus, care should be taken in interpreting textures of igneous rocks. Changes in morphology depending on
ΔT are also illustrated and discussed.
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