Crystallization and Melting of Diopside - Anorthite

Dexter Perkins

University of North Dakota

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection

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This page first made public: Aug 7, 2006

Summary

This short exercise introduces students to the binary phase diagram in the diopside-anorthite system that contains a eutectic invariant point.

Phase Equilibria/Thermodynamics, Mineralogy | College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)

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Context

Audience

This exercise is designed for a mid/upper-level undergraduate geology course on the principles of mineralogy.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Students should have knowledge of basic chemistry and of minerals equivalent to what they would learn in an introductory geology class.

How the activity is situated in the course

This activity is the 13th of 36 mineralogy exercises and is used towards the beginning of the course.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Learn more about phase diagrams.
Learn about eutectics and peritectics.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Learn how to translate a phase diagram into something meaningful.

Other skills goals for this activity

Description of the activity/assignment

This short exercise introduces students to phase diagrams that have a eutectic and a peritectic. After learning about such phase diagrams, students answer questions about melt composition, temperature, cooling and melting, crystalization, and melt:crystal ratios.