The effect of water activity on the oxidation and structural state of Fe in a ferro-basaltic melt

Experimental investigations have been performed at T = 1200°C, P = 200 MPa and fH2 corresponding to H2O-MnO-Mn3O4 and H2O-QFM redox buffers to study the effect of H2O activity on the oxidation and structural state of Fe in an iron-rich basaltic melt. The analysis of Mössbauer and Fe K-edge X-ray absorption nearedge structure (XANES) spectra of the quenched hydrous ferrobasaltic glasses shows that the Fe3+/ΣFe ratio of the glass is directly related to aH2O in a H2-buffered system and, consequently, to the prevailing oxygen fugacity (through the reaction of water dissociation H2O ↔ H2 + 1/2 O2). However, water as a chemical component of the silicate melt has an indistinguishable effect on the redox state of iron at studied conditions. The experimentally obtained relationship between fO2 and Fe3+/Fe2+ in the hydrous ferrobasaltic melt can be adequately predicted in the investigated range by the existing empiric and thermodynamic models. The ratio of ferric and ferrous Fe is proportional to the oxygen fugacity to the power of ∼0.25 which agrees with the theoretical value from the stoichiometry of the Fe redox reaction (FeO + ¼ O2 = FeO1.5). The mean centre shifts for Fe2+ and Fe3+ absorption doublets in Mössbauer spectra show little change with increasing Fe3+/ΣFe, suggesting no significant change in the type of iron coordination. Similarly, XANES preedge spectra indicate a mixed (C3h, Td, and Oh, i.e., 5-, 4-, and sixfold) coordination of Fe in hydrous basaltic glasses.