Micropores and mass transfer in the formation of myrmekites

Yuguchi, Takashi*; Yuasa, Haruka*; Izumino, Yuya*; Nakashima, Kazuo*; Sasao, Eiji; Nishiyama, Tadao*

American Mineralogist, 107(3), p.476 - 488, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2021-7956

The methodology and interpretations in this study provide new insights into the mechanism of myrmekite formation in a granitic system. The presence of micropores in the myrmekites and this study clarified that the genesis of micropores is related to the formation of myrmekites in the Toki granite. The results led to an increased understanding of (1) an estimate of mass transfer between the reactant and product minerals, and the inflow and outflow of components with consideration of the volume change due to micropore formation, (2) the factor controlling the formation of micropores during myrmekitization, and (3) the sequential variations in the hydrothermal fluid chemistry during sub-solidus conditions. The micropores act as a migration pathway for hydrothermal fluid and thus enhance the mass transfer within a granitic body starting with the myrmekite formation and continuing through the present day and into the future.