CO2-Rich Melts in Earth

Abstract

This chapter reviews the systematics of partial melting of mantle lithologies - like peridotite and eclogite - in the presence of carbon dioxide. It discusses the composition of mantle-derived magmas generated in the presence of carbon dioxide and whether magmas erupted on Earth’s surface resemble carbonated magmas from the mantle. It reviews how the production of carbon dioxide-rich magma in the mantle varies as a function of tectonic settings - beneath continents and oceans and in subduction zones - and time.