Metamorphic decarbonation, silicate weathering and the long-term carbon cycle

The seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr curve implies a 50–100 Myr episodicity in weathering rate which requires a corresponding variation in CO₂ degassing from the solid earth to the atmosphere. It is proposed that this is caused by orogenesis, which both produces CO₂ as a result of metamorphic decarbonation reactions, and consumes extra CO₂ as a consequence of erosion-enhanced weathering. Global climate on the geological time-scale is therefore contTolled by the difference between the relatively large and variable orogenic-moderated degassing and weathering CO₂ fluxes.     

Chemical weathering in the Hong (Red) River basin: Rates of silicate weathering and their controlling factors

The Hong (Red) River drains the prominent Red River Fault Zone that has experienced various tectonic activities—intrusion of magma, exhumation of basement rocks, and influx of thermal waters—associated with the Cenozoic collision of India and Eurasia. We report dissolved major element and Sr isotope compositions of 43 samples from its three tributary systems (Da, Thao/Hong main channel, and Lo) encompassing summer and winter seasons. Carbonic acid ultimately derived from the atmosphere is the main weathering agent, and sulfuric acid from pyrite oxidation plays a minor role. Seasonality is manifested in higher calcite saturation index and Mg/TZ⁺ and lower Ca/Mg in summer, suggesting calcite precipitation, and in higher Si/(Na^∗ + K) ratios in summer suggesting more intensive silicate weathering. We quantified the input from rain, evaporite, carbonate, and silicate reservoirs using forward and inverse models and examined the robustness of the results. Carbonate dissolution accounts for a significant fraction of total dissolved cations (55-97%), and weathering of silicates makes a minor contribution (1-40%). Our best estimate of the spatially averaged silicate weathering rate in the Hong basin is 170 × 10³ mol/km²/yr in summer and 51 × 10³ mol/km²/yr in winter. We tested for correlations between the rate of CO₂ consumption by silicate weathering and various climatic (air temperature, precipitation, runoff, and potential evapotranspiration) and geologic (relief, elevation, slope, and lithology) parameters calculated using GIS. Clear correlations do not emerge (except for ?CO₂ and runoff in winter) which we attribute to the complex geologic setting of the area, the seasonal regime change from physical-dominant in summer to chemical-dominant in winter, and the incoherent timescales involved for the different parameters tested.     

Tree-mycorrhiza symbiosis accelerate mineral weathering: Evidences from nanometer-scale elemental fluxes at the hypha-mineral interface

In soils, mycorrhiza (microscopic fungal hypha) living in symbiosis with plant roots are the biological interface by which plants obtain, from rocks and organic matter, the nutrients necessary for their growth and maintenance. Despite their central role in soils, the mechanism and kinetics of mineral alteration by mycorrhiza are poorly constrained quantitatively. Here, we report in situ quantification of weathering rates from a mineral substrate, (0 0 1) basal plane of biotite, by a surface-bound hypha of Paxillus involutus, grown in association with the root system of a Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris. Four thin-sections were extracted by focused ion beam (FIB) milling along a single hypha grown over the biotite surface. Depth-profile of Si, O, K, Mg, Fe and Al concentrations were performed at the hypha-biotite interface by scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDX). Large removals of K (50-65%), Mg (55-75%), Fe (80-85%) and Al (75-85%) were observed in the topmost 40 nm of biotite underneath the hypha while Si and O are preserved throughout the depth-profile. A quantitative model of alteration at the hypha-scale was developed based on solid-state diffusion fluxes of elements into the hypha and the break-down/mineralogical re-arrangement of biotite. A strong acidification was also observed with hypha bound to the biotite surface reaching pH < 4.6. When consistently compared with the abiotic biotite dissolution, we conclude that the surface-bound mycorrhiza accelerate the biotite alteration kinetics between pH 3.5 and 5.8 to ∼0.04 μmol biotite m⁻² h⁻¹. Our current work reaffirms that fungal mineral alteration is a process that combines our previously documented bio-mechanical forcing with the μm-scale acidification mediated by surface-bound hypha and a subsequent chemical element removal due to the fungal action. As such, our study presents a first kinetic framework for mycorrhizal alteration at the hypha-scale under close-to-natural experimental conditions.     

The fluvial geochemistry, contributions of silicate, carbonate and saline-alkaline components to chemical weathering flux and controlling parameters: Narmada River (Deccan Traps), India

The Narmada River in India is the largest west-flowing river into the Arabian Sea, draining through the Deccan Traps, one of the largest flood basalt provinces in the world. The fluvial geochemical characteristics and chemical weathering rates (CWR) for the mainstream and its major tributaries were determined using a composite dataset, which includes four phases of seasonal field (spot) samples (during 2003 and 2004) and a decade-long (1990-2000) fortnight time series (multiannual) data. Here, we demonstrate the influence of minor lithologies (carbonates and saline-alkaline soils) on basaltic signature, as reflected in sudden increases of Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺ and Na⁺ contents at many locations along the mainstream and in tributaries. Both spot and multiannual data corrected for non-geological contributions were used to calculate the CWR. The CWR for spot samples (CWR_spot) vary between 25 and 63 ton km⁻² year⁻¹, showing a reasonable correspondence with the CWR estimated for multiannual data (CWR_multi) at most study locations. The weathering rates of silicate (SilWR), carbonate (CarbWR) and evaporite (Sal-AlkWR) have contributed ∼38-58, 28-45 and 8-23%, respectively to the CWR_spot at different locations. The estimated SilWR (11-36 ton km⁻² year⁻¹) for the Narmada basin indicates that the previous studies on the North Deccan Rivers (Narmada-Tapti-Godavari) overestimated the silicate weathering rates and associated CO₂ consumption rates. The average annual CO₂ drawdown via silicate weathering calculated for the Narmada basin is ∼0.032 × 10¹² moles year⁻¹, suggesting that chemical weathering of the entire Deccan Trap basalts consumes approximately 2% (∼0.24 × 10¹² moles) of the annual global CO₂ drawdown. The present study also evaluates the influence of meteorological parameters (runoff and temperature) and physical weathering rates (PWR) in controlling the CWR at annual scale across the basin. The CWR and the SilWR show significant correlation with runoff and PWR. On the basis of observed wide temporal variations in the CWR and their close association with runoff, temperature and physical erosion, we propose that the CWR in the Narmada basin strongly depend on meteorological variability. At most locations, the total denudation rates (TDR) are dominated by physical erosion, whereas chemical weathering constitutes only a small part (<10%). Thus, the CWR to PWR ratio for the Narmada basin can be compared with high relief small river watersheds of Taiwan and New Zealand (1-5%) and large Himalayan Rivers such as the Brahmaputra and the Ganges (8-9%).     

Modeling coupled THM processes of geological porous media with multiphase flow: Theory and validation against laboratory and field scale experiments

A FEM model for analysis of fully coupled multiphase flow, thermal transport and stress/deformation in geological porous media was developed based on the momentum, mass and energy conservation laws of the continuum mechanics and the averaging approach of the mixture theory over a three phase (solid–liquid–gas) system. Six processes (i.e. stress–strain, water flow, gas flow, vapor flow, heat transport and porosity evolution processes) and their coupling effects are considered, which not only makes the problem well-defined, but renders the governing PDEs closed, complete, compact and compatible. Displacements, pore water pressure, pore gas pressure, pore vapor pressure, temperature and porosity are selected as basic unknowns. The physical phenomena such as phase transition, gas solubility in liquid, thermo-osmosis, moisture transfer and moisture swelling are modeled. As a result, the relative humidity and other related variables in porous media can be evaluated on a sounder physical basis. A three dimensional computer code, THYME3D, was developed, with eight degrees of freedom at each node. The laboratory CEA Mock-up test and the field scale FEBEX benchmark test on bentonite performance assessment for underground nuclear waste repositories were used to validate the numerical model and the software. The coupled THM behaviors of the bentonite barriers were satisfactorily simulated, and the effects and impacts of the governing equations, constitutive relations and property parameters on the coupled THM processes were understood in terms of more straightforward interpretation of physical processes at microscopic scale of the porous media. The work developed enables further in-depth research on fully coupled THM or THMC processes in porous media.     

Time scale and conditions of weathering under tropical climate: Study of the Amazon basin with U-series

The Rio Solimões/Amazonas (Amazon River) and its major tributaries have been analyzed for U-series nuclides. ²³⁸U-²³⁴U-²³⁰Th-²²⁶Ra disequilibria have been measured in the dissolved (<0.2 μm) and suspended loads (>0.2 μm) as well as bed sands. U-series disequilibria are closely related to major and trace element compositions and therefore reflect elemental fractionation during chemical weathering. Moreover, while the dissolved load records present-day weathering, suspended particles integrate the erosion history over much longer time scales (>100 ka). Lowland rivers are characterized by long time scales of chemical erosion (?100 ka) resulting in a high weathering intensity. Moreover, exchange between suspended particles and the dissolved load may explain the U-series signature for these rivers. By combining U-series and Pb isotopes in suspended particles, we show that erosion in the Rio Madeira basin occurred as a multi-step process, whereby the pristine continental crust was eroded several hundreds of Ma ago to produce sediments that have then been integrated in the Cordillera by crustal shortening and are currently eroded. In contrast, recent erosion of a pristine crust is more likely for the Rio Solimões/Amazonas (<10 ka). The suspended particles of the rivers draining the Andes (Solimões/Amazonas, Madeira) suggest time scales of weathering ranging between 4 and 20 ka. This indicates that suspended particles transported by those rivers are not stored for long periods in the Andean foreland basin and the tropical plain. The sediments delivered to the ocean have resided only a few ka in the Amazon basin (6.3 ± 1 ka for the Rio Amazonas at Óbidos). Nevertheless, a large fraction of the sediments coming out from the Andes are trapped in the foreland basin and may never reach the ocean. Erosion in the Andes is not operating in steady state. U-series systematics shows unambiguously that rivers are exporting a lot more sediments than predicted by steady-state erosion and that is a consequence of soil destruction greater than production. By relating this observation to the short time scales of weathering inferred for the Andes (a few ka), it appears that the erosion regime has been recently perturbed, resulting in high denudation rates. A possible explanation would be the increase in precipitation less than 5 ka proposed by recent paleoclimatic studies. Our results indicate that erosion responds rapidly to high-frequency climatic fluctuations.     

River dissolved and solid loads in the Lesser Antilles: New insight into basalt weathering processes

We present here the first available estimations of chemical weathering and associated atmospheric CO₂ consumption rates as well as mechanical erosion rate for the Lesser Antilles. The chemical weathering (100–120 t/km²/year) and CO₂ consumption (1.1–1.4 × 10⁶ mol/km²/year) rates are calculated after subtraction of the atmospheric and hydrothermal inputs in the chemical composition of the river dissolved loads. These rates thus reflect only the low-temperature basalt weathering. Mechanical erosion rates (approx. 800–4000 t/km²/year) are estimated by a geochemical mass balance between the dissolved and solid loads and mean unaltered rock. The calculated chemical weathering rates and associated atmospheric CO₂ consumption rates are among the highest values worldwide but are still lower than those of other tropical volcanic islands and do not fit with the HCO₃⁻ concentration vs. 1/T correlation proposed by Dessert et al. (2001). The thick soils and explosive volcanism context of the Lesser Antilles are the two possible keys to this different weathering behaviour; the development of thick soils limits the chemical weathering and the presence of very porous pyroclastic flows allows an important water infiltration and thus subsurface weathering mechanisms, which are less effective for atmospheric CO₂ consumption.     

Experimental study of the dynamic behavior and segregation of density-bidisperse granular sliding masses at the laboratory scale

From the understanding of dynamics and processes of rapid granular flows and the granular-segregation mechanism in gravity-driven flow, we can clarify the particle-composition structure in the downstream areas of avalanches in geophysical contexts, such as landslides, rock falls, and snow-slab avalanches. Such dynamics also provide a basis for geophysical studies. This study experimentally investigates the dynamic behavior and segregation phenomena of a density-bidisperse, rapid, granular flow down a quasi-2D, rough, inclined rectangular chute. Particles with two density ratios are used to investigate the mechanism of density-induced segregation, and four chute-inclination angles are tested to examine the influence of driving forces. The dynamics of the mixture flow—which includes the flow-depth evolution, stream-wise and depth-wise velocity profiles, shear rate, and granular temperature in the upper high-shear band of the flow—are obtained from particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. The two-dimensional concentration distributions of the particles in the stream-wise direction are also obtained using 2D image processing to determine the segregation state. In the upstream region, the variation in the concentration of heavier particles is defined as the strength of the density-induced segregation state, S_d. Our results indicate that the mixture-flow parameter—particularly the shear rate and the granular temperature in the upper high-shear band—crucially influence the strength of particle segregation in granular avalanches. In the upstream region, a higher shear rate and a higher granular temperature in the upper high-velocity band result in a smaller drag force in the mixture flow, causing stronger density-induced particle segregation. These results well describe the entire processes of dense granular flows, from upstream initiation to the downstream steady state. Therefore, they reveal the structure of the mixed flow in the depth direction and are expected to explain various gravity-driven mixture granular flows.

     

Simulation of the nucleation and growth of simple clay minerals in weathering processes: The NANOKIN code

We present a numerical approach which accounts for nucleation, growth and/or resorption of particles of fixed composition in aqueous solutions, and which involves functionalities suited to the formation of simple clay minerals in weathering processes, such as: formation of non-spherical particles, heterogeneous/homogeneous nucleation, several growth laws, precipitation resulting from the dissolution of primary minerals. The overall model is now embedded into a new numerical code called NANOKIN, in which several optimization procedures have been introduced in order to allow long dynamics to be followed. NANOKIN was applied to the precipitation of Al- bearing minerals from aqueous solutions: halloysite, kaolinite and Ca-montmorillonite. It allowed us to propose a stable scheme for the competitive precipitation of halloysite and kaolinite under two different types of initial conditions: (1) a given initial super-saturation state of the aqueous solution; (2) progressive super-saturation resulting from the kinetic dissolution of the minerals from a granitic rock under weathering conditions. Both yield particle sizes in the micron range, but with distinct crystal size distribution functions. The interplay between kinetic and thermodynamic effects is discussed.     

Importance of porosity and transfer of matter in the rock weathering processes: two examples in central Spain

Some physical properties (bulk and free porosity, pore size distribution), and the chemical composition and mass balance of two deeply weathered profiles one developed on Hercynian granodiorite and the other on pre-Cambrian slates were studied. Hydric and mercury porosimetry, nitrogen adsorption techniques, chemical analyses and XRD techniques were used. On granodiorite, weathering has created increased porosity with a pore diameter <5 μm, whereas on slates the weathering has produced of ca. 1 μm in diameter. These pore sizes have played an important role in the weathering processes. Assuming that weathering preserves volumes, except in the uppermost part of the profiles, it brought about a loss of matter of more than 12% (~300 kg/m³) on granodiorite and ca. 30% (~800 kg/m³) on slates. These changes are related to shifts in the mineralogical evolution, with the appearance of new 2:1 and 1:1 phyllosilicates and Fe oxy-hydroxides as the main authigenic minerals. The release of matter, at least since the upper Neogene until the present, has led to the lowering of relief in a more or less homogeneous way, giving rise to gentle hillsides and flat surfaces below which the current river networks are incised. Porosity studies have the potential to explain several specific landforms as well as affecting landscape development in general.     

Relating soil erosion and sediment yield to geomorphic features and erosion processes at the catchment scale in the Spanish Pre-Pyrenees

Erosion and sediment redistribution are important processes in landscape changes in the short and long term. In this study, the RMMF model of soil erosion and the SEDD model of sediment delivery were used to estimate annual soil loss and sediment yield in an ungauged catchment of the Spanish Pre-Pyrenees and results were interpreted in the context of the geomorphic features. The Estaña Catchment is divided into 15 endorheic sub-catchments and there are 17 dolines. Gullies and slopes were the main erosive geomorphic elements, whereas the colluvial, alluvial, valley floor, and doline deposits were depositional elements. Spatially distributed maps of gross soil erosion, sediment delivery ratio (SDR), and sediment yield (SY) were generated in a GIS. Severe erosion rates (>100 Mg ha^?1 year^?1) were found in gullies, whereas mean and maximum erosion rates were very high on slopes developed on Keüper Facies and high in soils on Muschelkalk Facies. Where crops are grown, the depositional-type geoforms were predicted by the models to have an erosive dynamic. Those results were consistent with the rates of erosion quantified by ¹³⁷Cs which reflects the significant role of human activities in triggering soil erosion. Catchment area was positively correlated with erosion rate, but negatively correlated with SDR and SY. The latter were negatively correlated with the proportion of the surface catchment covered with forests and scrublands. The topography of the area influenced the high SDR and SY in the dolines and valley floors near the sinks. Intra-basin stored sediment was 59.2% of the total annual eroded soil in the catchment. The combination of the RMMF and SEDD models was an appropriate means of assessing the effects of land uses on soil erosion and obtaining a better understanding of the processes that underlie the geomorphic changes occurring in mountainous environments of the Mediterranean region.     

AFM observations and simulations of jarosite growth at the molecular scale: probing the basis for the incorporation of foreign ions into jarosite as a storage mineral

 The growth of K-jarosite was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and molecular simulations. SEM micrographs show crystals with almost quadratic and, to a minor extent, triangular faces. These were identified to be {0 1 2} and (0 0 1) faces, respectively, using an X-ray single-crystal diffractometer. These results are in agreement with molecular simulations that show that the dipole-free {0 1 2} face is the most stable surface, followed by the (0 0 1) surface, that can lower its dipole moment perpendicular to the surface during relaxation. On the {0 1 2} face, the most stable step directions were identified. From these, an idealized equilibrium growth island can be constructed when the corner energies are minimized by the successive removal of corner ions until a stoichiometric growth island is obtained. Such an equilibrium growth island is the basis for developing a spiral growth model that explains the mechanism of spiral formation as observed using AFM. Furthermore, reactive sites that are potential candidates for the incorporation of foreign ions can be located. Received: 2 January 2001 / Accepted: 30 April 2001     

Deciphering the weathering processes using environmental mineralogy and geochemistry: Towards an integrated model of laterite and podzol genesis in the Upper Amazon Basin

This article reports major results from collaborative research between France and Brazil on soil and water systems, carried out in the Upper Amazon Basin. It reveals the weathering processes acting in the partly inundated, low elevation plateaus of the Basin, mostly covered by evergreen forest. Our findings are based on geochemical data and mineral spectroscopy that probe the crystal chemistry of Fe and Al in mineral phases (mainly kaolinite, Al- and Fe-(hydr)oxides) of tropical soils (laterites). These techniques reveal crystal alterations in mineral populations of different ages and changes of metal speciation associated with mineral or organic phases. These results provide an integrated model of soil formation and changes (from laterites to podzols) in distinct hydrological compartments of the Amazon landscapes and under altered water regimes.     

Mountain building-enhanced continental weathering and organic carbon burial as major causes for climatic cooling at the Frasnian–Famennian boundary (c. 376 Ma)?

The Late Devonian was a period of drastic environmental changes, as exemplified by a major biotic crisis at the Frasnian–Famennian boundary (FFB) and the onset in Famennian times of glaciations across southern Gondwana. Worldwide evidence for the coeval development of the major Acadian–Eovariscan belt led us to propose a model relating the Late Frasnian–Famennian environmental perturbations to extensive continental uplift through two atmospheric CO₂-depleting mechanisms: (1) the intensification of silicate weathering on the continental areas as attested by a major rise in the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr composition of sea water at the FFB; and (2) the massive burial of organic carbon (Kellwasser events) in partially confined basins due to the collisional-induced reduction of equatorial oceanic communications between the Palaeotethysian and Panthalassic oceans. This process is also suggested to have been controlled by an important primary productivity connected to an increased nutrient availability triggered by the enhanced continental run-off.     

Irreversible evolution of tectono-magmatic processes at the Earth and Moon: Petrological data

The tectono-magmatic evolution of the Earth and Moon started after the solidification of their magmatic “oceans”, whose in-situ crystallization produced the primordial crusts of the planets, with the composition of these crusts depending on the depths of the “oceans”. A principally important feature of the irreversible evolution of the planetary bodies, regardless of their sizes and proportions of their metallic cores and silicate shells, was a fundamental change in the course of their tectono-magmatic processes during intermediate evolutionary stages. Early in the geological evolution of the Earth and Moon, their magmatic melts were highly magnesian and were derived from mantle sources depleted during the solidification of the magmatic “oceans”; this situation can be described in terms of plume tectonics. Later, geochemically enriched basalts with high concentrations of Fe, Ti, and incompatible elements became widespread. These rocks were typical of Phanerozoic within-plate magmatism. The style of tectonic activity has also changed: plate tectonics became widespread at the Earth, and large depressions (maria) started to develop at the Moon. The latter were characterized by a significantly thinned crust and basaltic magmatism. These events are thought to have been related to mantle superplumes of the second generation (thermochemical), which are produced (Dobretsov et al., 2001) at the boundary between the liquid core and silicate mantle owing to the accumulation of fluid at this interface. Because of their lower density, these superplumes ascended higher than their precursors did, and the spreading of their head parts resulted in active interaction with the superjacent thinned lithosphere and a change in the tectonic regime, with the replacement of the primordial crust by the secondary basaltic one. This change took place at 2.3–2.0 Ga on the Earth and at 4.2–3.9 Ga on the Moon. Analogous scenarios (with small differences) were also likely typical of Mars and Venus, whose vast basaltic plains developed during their second evolutionary stages. The change in the style of tectonic-magmatic activity was associated with important environmental changes on the surfaces of the planets, which gave rise to their secondary atmospheres. The occurrence of a fundamental change in the tectono-magmatic evolution of the planetary bodies with the transition from depleted to geochemically enriched melts implies that these planets were originally heterogeneous and had metal cores and silicate shells enriched in the material of carbonaceous chondrites. The involvement of principally different material (that had never before participated in these processes) in tectono-magmatic processes was possible only if these bodies were heated from their outer to inner levels via the passage of a heating wave (zone) with the associated cooling of the outermost shells. The early evolutionary stages of the planets, when the waves passed through their silicate mantles, were characterized by the of development of super-plumes of the first generation. The metallic cores were the last to melt, and this processes brought about the development of thermochemical super-plumes.     

Riverine organic carbon in the Xijiang River (South China): seasonal variation in content and flux budget

. Riverine water samples were collected from the lower reach hydrometric station Makou of the Xijiang River, in four hydrological seasons during 1997 and 1998. The samples were analyzed for their particulate and dissolved organic carbon. The contents of riverine particulate and dissolved organic carbon changed synchronously during different hydrological processes. The contents of organic carbon and total suspended substances in the riverine water increased with increasing discharge. The mass of organic carbon in the total suspended substances decreased logarithmically with increasing total suspended substances. The transported flux of organic carbon in the Xijiang River drainage is about 10.18᎒⁶ g of C km^–2 year^–1, which is two to three times larger than that of the average value in other river systems. Particulate organic carbon is the main component of riverine organic carbon, with a flux of about 8.30᎒⁶ g of C km^–2 year^–1.     

Paragenetic relations of diamond with silicate and carbonate minerals in the carbonatite-diamond system: Experiments at 8.5 GPa

Phase relations of diamond and syngenetic minerals were experimentally investigated in the multicomponent system natural carbonatite-diamond at a pressure of 8.5 GPa and temperatures of 1300–1800°C (within the thermodynamic stability field of diamond). Under such conditions, the natural carbonatite of the Chagatai complex (Uzbekistan) acquires the mineralogy of Ca-rich eclogites (grospydites). The melting phase diagram of this system (syngenesis diagram) was constructed; an important element of this diagram is the diamond solubility curve in completely miscible carbonate-silicate melts (solubility values are 15–18 wt % C). The diamond solubility curve divides the phase diagram into two fields corresponding to (1) phase relations involving diamond-undersaturated melts-solutions of carbon with garnet as a liquidus phase (region of diamond dissolution) and (2) phase relations with diamond-saturated melts-solutions with diamond as a liquidus phase (region of diamond crystallization). During a temperature decrease in the region of diamond crystallization from carbonate-silicate melts, the crystallization of diamond is accompanied by the sequential formation of the following phase assemblages: diamond + garnet + melt, diamond + garnet + clinopyroxene + melt, and diamond + garnet + clinopyroxene + carbonate + melt, and the subsolidus assemblage diamond + garnet + clinopyroxene + carbonate is eventually formed. This is indicative of the paragenetic nature of silicate and carbonate minerals co-crystallizing with diamond and corresponding primary inclusions trapped by the growing diamond. A physicochemical mechanism was proposed for the formation of diamond in carbonate-silicate melts. The obtained results were used to analyze the physicochemical behavior of a natural diamond-forming magma chamber.