The carbon dioxide solubility in alkali basalts: an experimental study

Priscille Lesne (1) , Bruno Scaillet (1) , Michel Pichavant (1) , Jean-Michel Bény (1)

1 ISTO - Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans

Experiments were conducted to determine CO2 solubilities in alkali basalts from Vesuvius, Etna and Stromboli volcanoes. The basaltic melts were equilibrated with nearly pure CO2 at 1,200°C under oxidizing conditions and at pressures ranging from 269 to 2,060 bars. CO2 solubility was determined by FTIR measurements. The results show that alkalis have a strong effect on the CO2 solubility and confirm and refine the relationship between the compositional parameter Π devised by Dixon (Am Mineral 82:368-378, 1997) and the CO2 solubility.

Keywords: CO2 solubility; Alkali basalts; Experiments; Thermodynamics

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Earth Sciences; Volcanology; Environmental Sciences; Global Changes

Priscille Lesne, Bruno Scaillet, Michel Pichavant, Jean-Michel Bény. The carbon dioxide solubility in alkali basalts: an experimental study. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2011, 162 (1), pp.153-168. ⟨10.1007/s00410-010-0585-0⟩. ⟨insu-00534729⟩