The occurrence of chlorine in serpentine minerals

Partially serpentinized dunites containing small amounts of Chlorine (< 0.5%) from Dumont, Quebec, and Horoman, Hokkaido, Japan, and one containing less than 0.05% Chlorine from Higashi-Akaishi-Yama, Ehime, Japan have been examined using the electron probe microanalyzer and scanning transmission electron microscope with X-ray analytical capabilities. Chlorine was found together with Si, Mg, Ca and Fe in the serpentine minerals of the Dumont and Hokkaido dunites but not in the Ehime dunite. Chlorine is found associated only with the most finely crystalline facies of the serpentine (grain size less than 10 nm). The Ehime dunite contained no such fine grained serpentine, and was thus effectively chlorine-free, as are the coarser grained serpentines of the other samples. The finegrained chlorine-bearing serpentine also has a much higher concentration of Fe, and can contain smaller amounts of Ca, Ni and Mn than the coarse-grained variety as well as minute awaruite (FeNi3) grains. This fine-grained serpentine probably represents an early stage in the transformation of olivine to serpentine, with chlorine from hydrothermal solutions assisting the necessary chemical changes. The Cl increases the reaction rate by lowering the activation barrier to reaction by the introduction of reaction steps. ?? 1981 Springer-Verlag.