A mantle xenolith (dunite) infiltrated by mafic melt on the left side. The melt has crystallized clinopyroxene, as shown by this electron backscattered diffraction image. Each pixel's data is a diffraction pattern that can determine mineral type and crystallographic orientation.
Wednesday, early afternoon posters at #AGU23
MR31B-0084 Effects of melt-rock interactions on deformation fabrics and rock physical properties in the shallow mantle lithosphere
James Kirkpatrick presenting, but this is the the M.Sc. work of Arvid Gonzalez (now core-logging in n. QC). Other authors are myself and Caroline Seyler (U. Minnesota).
Arvid found that infiltrating mafic melt reduces the preserved strain in mantle olivine.
#McGillUniversity #Mantle #EBSD #Xenolith #Lithosphere #Olivine
Bill Minarik