Abstract
JUDGING from the literature during the past decade, there is a growing interest in problems related to the genesis of carbonatites and associated alkaline igneous rocks. The interest has undoubtedly been fostered by the discovery of large reserves of rare earths in these rocks. Many field geologists believe that carbonatites were emplaced as liquid magmas; but hitherto there has been no conclusive experimental evidence to support the existence of carbonatite liquids. In fact, from the available experimental evidence it seemed unlikely that such liquids could exist at the low temperatures indicated by field studies. We have recently obtained experimental evidence that simplified carbonatite magmas can exist at moderate temperatures through a wide range of pressures.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Tuttle, O. F., and Wyllie, P. J., Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer., 69, No. 12, Part 2, 1655 (1958).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
WYLLIE, P., TUTTLE, O. Synthetic Carbonatite Magma. Nature 183, 770 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/183770a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/183770a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.