An Equation for the Calculation of Saturated Water Contents in Silicate Melts: A New Version

Abstract

A set of experimental data compiled from the literature comprises results of 394 quenching experiments that characterize the saturated water content within wide ranges of intensive parameters of silicate systems. Analysis of the main types of published models of water solubility in silicate melt showed that the equation by G. Moore et al. (1998) best describes experimental results. The Moore equation, converted to an exponential form, was recalibrated on an extended set of experimental data, and the new coefficients for this equation are: a = 918; bAl2O3 = – 0.712; bFeO = – 0.749; bNa2O = 0.806; c = 1.087; and d = –11.45. The Moore equation with new coefficients makes it possible to predict the saturated water content in silicate melts accurate to ±1 to ±2 relative % in the range of melt compositions from basalt to rhyolite, pressures from atmospheric to 15 kbar, and temperatures from 550 to 1300°C.