Constraining the Timescales of Rehydration in Nominally Anhydrous Minerals Using 3D Numerical Diffusion Models

Nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs) are important for characterizing deep-Earth water reservoirs, but the water contents of olivine (ol), orthopyroxene (opx), and clinopyroxene (cpx) in peridotites generally do not reflect mantle equilibrium conditions. Ol is typically "dry" and decoupled from H in cpx and opx, which is inconsistent with models of partial melting and/or diffusive loss of H during upwelling beneath mid-ocean ridges. The rehydration of mantle pyroxenes via late-stage re-fertilization has been invoked to explain their relatively high water contents. Here, we use sophisticated 3D diffusion models (after Shea et al., 2015, Am Min) of H in ol, opx, and cpx to investigate the timescales of rehydration across a range of conditions relevant for melt-rock interaction and serpentinization of peridotites. Numerical crystals with 1 mm c-axis lengths and realistic crystal morphologies are modeled using recent H diffusivities that account for compositional variation and diffusion anisotropy. Models were run over timescales of minutes to millions of years and temperatures from 300 to 1200°C. Our 3D models show that, at the high-T end of the range, H concentrations in the cores of NAMs are partially re-equilibrated in as little as a few minutes, and completely re-equilibrated within hours to weeks. At low-T (300°C), serpentinization can induce considerable diffusion in cpx and opx. H contents are 30% re-equilibrated after continuous exposure to hydrothermal fluids for 102 and 105 years, respectively, which is inconsistent with previous interpretations that there is no effect on H in opx under similar conditions. Ol is unaffected after 1 Myr due to the slower diffusivity of the proton-vacancy mechanism at 300°C (2-4 log units lower than for opx). In the middle of the T range (700-1000°C), rehydration of opx and cpx occurs over hours to days, while ol is somewhat slower to respond (days to weeks), potentially allowing the decoupling observed in natural samples to occur via melt re-fertilization. Finally, off-center and oblique sections are common in natural samples and measurements likely reflect at least partially re-equilibrated compositions. Thus, the high water contents in peridotites may reflect variable NAM rehydration over a range of temperatures and timescales relevant for mid ocean ridge processes.