USGS Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · 70207878

Experimental deformation of topaz crystals: Possible embrittlement by intracrystalline water

R. W. Lee·Stephen H. Kirby
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Crystallographically oriented single‐crystal prisms of gem quality topaz (composition AlSiO (OH− F) where x = 0.04 ± 0.01) were deformed at a confining pressure of 1.50 GPa, a temperature of 800°C, and a strain rate of 2×10 s. Under nearly identical conditions, all crystals of anhydrous rock‐forming minerals that have been tested to date, such as olivine, quartz, feldspars, pyroxenes, and refractory oxides, deform plastically; in contrast, our topaz crystals failed by brittle fracture regardless of the orientation of the compression direction. No optical evidence for plastic deformation was detected. Another suite of experiments with compression perpendicular to the (001) cleavage at = 100°–950°C and a strain rate of 2×10 s displayed two regimes of behavior: (1) at >400°C, fracture strength was independent of temperature, and fracture occurred on one or two surfaces parallel to {103}; (2) at <400°C, the fracture strength increased rapidly with decreasing temperature, no macroscopic stress drop was observed, and many closely spaced conjugate fractures formed on (103) and (103). The anomalous brittleness of topaz compared to anhydrous silicate and oxide crystals indicates that intracrystalline “water” plays a role in the embrittlement. We suggest that water within the topaz crystals promotes fracture in ways similar to the mechanisms of slow crack growth aided by environmental moisture.

Explore related subjects

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid EarthArticle

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

R. W. Lee, Stephen H. Kirby. 2012-09-20. Experimental deformation of topaz crystals: Possible embrittlement by intracrystalline water. https://doi.org/10.1029/jb089ib06p04161

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2023

High-resolution InSAR reveals localized pre-eruptive deformation inside the crater of Agung Volcano, Indonesia

During a volcanic crisis, high-rate, localized deformation can indicate magma close to the surface, with important implications for eruption forecasting. However, only a few such examples have been reported, because frequent, dense monitoring is needed. High-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is capable of achieving <1 m spatial resolution and sub-weekly revisit times, but is under-used. Here we use high-resolution satellite SAR imagery from COSMO-SkyMed, TerraSAR-X, and Sentinel-1 to detect intra-crater uplift preceding the November 2017 onset of eruptive activity at Agung, Indonesia. Processing the SAR imagery with an up-to-date, accurate, high-resolution digital elevation model was crucial for preventing aliasing of the deformation signal and for accurate georeferencing. We show that >15 cm of line-of-sight shortening occurred over a 400-by-400 m area on the crater floor in September-October 2017, accompanying a deep seismic swarm and flank dyke intrusion. We attribute the deformation to the pressurization of a shallow (<200 m deep) hydrothermal system by the injection of magmatic gases and fluids. We also observe a second pulse of intra-crater deformation of 3–5 cm within 4 days to 11 hr prior to the first phreatomagmatic eruption, which is consistent with interaction between the hydrothermal system and the ascending magma. This phreatomagmatic eruption created the central pathway used during the final stages of magma ascent. Our observations have important implications for understanding unrest and eruption forecasting, and demonstrate the potential of monitoring with high-resolution SAR.

Agung Volcano, Bali↗
USGS2023

Identification of seismo-volcanic regimes at Whakaari/White Island (New Zealand) via systematic tuning of an unsupervised classifier

We present an algorithm based on Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) and k-means clustering to recognize patterns in a continuous 12.5-year tremor time series recorded at Whakaari/White Island volcano, New Zealand (hereafter referred to as Whakaari). The approach is extendable to a variety of volcanic settings through systematic tuning of the classifier. Hyperparameters are evaluated by statistical means, yielding a combination of “ideal” SOM parameters for the given data set. Extending from this, we applied a Kernel Density Estimation approach to automatically detect changes within the observed seismicity. We categorize the Whakaari seismic time series into regimes representing distinct volcano-seismic states during recent unrest episodes at Whakaari (2012/2013, 2016, and 2019). There is a clear separation in classification results between background regimes and those representing elevated levels of unrest. Onset of unrest is detected by the classifier 6 weeks before the August 2012 eruption, and ca. 3.5 months before the December 2019 eruption, respectively. Regime changes are corroborated by changes in commonly monitored tremor proxies as well as with reported volcanic activity. The regimes are hypothesized to represent diverse mechanisms including: system pressurization and depressurization, degassing, and elevated surface activity. Labeling these regimes improves visualization of the 2012/2013 and 2019 unrest and eruptive episodes. The pre-eruptive 2016 unrest showed a contrasting shape and nature of seismic regimes, suggesting differing onset and driving processes. The 2016 episode is proposed to result from rapid destabilization of the shallow hydrothermal system, while rising magmatic gases from new injections of magma better explain the 2012/2013 and 2019 episodes.

Whakaari, White Island↗
USGS2022

Microgravity change during the 2008-2018 Kı̄lauea summit eruption: Nearly a decade of subsurface mass accumulation

Results from nine microgravity campaigns from Kı̄lauea, Hawaiʻi, spanning most of the volcano's 2008–2018 summit eruption, indicate persistent mass accumulation at shallow levels. A weighted least squares approach is used to recover microgravity results from a network of benchmarks around Kı̄lauea's summit, eliminate instrumental drift, and restore suspected data tares. A total mass of 1.9 × 10 11 kg was determined from these microgravity campaigns to have accumulated below Kı̄lauea Caldera during 2009–2015 at an estimated depth of 1.3 km below sea level. Only a fraction of this mass is reflected in surface deformation, and this is consistent with previously reported discrepancies between subsurface mass accumulation and observed surface deformation. The discrepancy, amongst other independent evidence from gas emissions, seismicity, and continuous gravimetry, indicate densification of magma in the reservoirs below the volcano summit. This densification may have been driven by degassing through the summit vent. It is hypothesized that during the final years of the summit eruption, magma densification resulted in a buildup of pressure in the reservoirs that may have contributed to the lower East Rift Zone outbreak of 2018. The observed mass accumulation beneath Kı̄lauea could not have been detected through other techniques and illustrates the importance of microgravity measurements in volcano monitoring.

Hawai'i↗