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liquidus diagram
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A triangular phase diagram shows the melting relationships among quartz, kalsilite, and forsterite, with labeled regions for minerals like cristobalite, protoenstatite, leucite, sanidine, and tridymite, and temperature lines marking melting points in degrees Celsius.
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liquidus diagram

phase diagram
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A triangular phase diagram shows the melting relationships among quartz, kalsilite, and forsterite, with labeled regions for minerals like cristobalite, protoenstatite, leucite, sanidine, and tridymite, and temperature lines marking melting points in degrees Celsius.
Figure 15: Melting relations among minerals in the system SiO2 (quartz)–KAlSiO4 (kalsilite)–Mg2SiO4 (forsterite). Temperatures next to compositions refer to the melting points of those compositions in °C. Protoenstatite, instead of enstatite, is produced in experiments of this type. The compositions of protoenstatite and enstatite are identical, but their structures differ.

A liquidus diagram is a type of phase diagram used in igneous petrology. It graphically represents the conditions under which minerals crystallize from a melt (liquid phase) as temperatures decrease. The diagram shows temperatures at which minerals melt, defining a liquidus surface. By studying the crystalline products formed upon cooling melts of specific compositions, researchers can compare these results with minerals found in natural igneous rocks.1

Phase diagrams, in general, illustrate the limiting conditions for solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of a substance or mixture under varying pressure and temperature. A liquidus curve, specifically, indicates temperatures above which only the liquid phase can exist, relating the compositions of the liquid phase to the solid phase in equilibrium with it. These diagrams are crucial for understanding the formation conditions of rocks and minerals and are valuable in industrial processes.23

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  2. mineral - Use in igneous petrology
  3. phase diagram
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