Publications
Published
This is a list of the peer-reviewed publications on international journals that I have authored and co-authored. For a full and updated list of publications and citations visit my profile on Google Scholar and Scopus.
2025
12.
Gilio M; Angel R J; Mazzucchelli M L; Alvaro M
The pressure-induced stiffening of quartz and its effect on the strain-stress relationship. Implications for elastic geobarometry Journal Article
In: Lithos, vol. 514-515, pp. 108210, 2025, ISSN: 0024-4937.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, QuiG, Raman thermobarometry
@article{gilio_pressure-induced_2025,
title = {The pressure-induced stiffening of quartz and its effect on the strain-stress relationship. Implications for elastic geobarometry},
author = {Mattia Gilio and Ross J. Angel and Mattia L. Mazzucchelli and Matteo Alvaro},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024493725002695},
doi = {10.1016/j.lithos.2025.108210},
issn = {0024-4937},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-11-01},
urldate = {2025-11-01},
journal = {Lithos},
volume = {514-515},
pages = {108210},
abstract = {Elastic geobarometry allows us to estimate the pressure and temperature conditions of the entrapment of a mineral within a host from the residual pressure of the inclusion. The residual pressure is often calculated as the mean normal stress by applying the elastic tensor (Cij) measured at ambient pressure (1 bar) to the measured inclusion strains. While neglecting the pressure dependence of the Cij is a reasonable assumption for stiffer minerals such as olivine and zircon, this method may induce significant errors in the calculation of inclusion pressures and hence entrapment conditions of softer minerals like quartz trapped in stiff hosts such as garnets. Here we describe a method to calculate stress from the measured strains of quartz inclusions by considering the progressive stiffening of the elastic tensor of quartz with pressure, and discuss its implications for elastic geobarometry. Additionally, we extend this method to the stiffer olivine and zircon to emphasise its broader utility to ultra-high-pressure and temperature rocks and inclusions in diamonds. The changes in inclusion pressures for these latter two minerals are, however, not as significant as those in quartz, and it can be assumed that the elastic tensor remains invariant with pressure for most geological cases. A MATLAB code is provided with a comprehensive guide to calculate the inclusion pressures accounting for the change in the elastic tensor with pressure for quartz, olivine, and zircon. This code will be implemented within future updates of the online platform for elastic geothermobarometry EntraPT (https://www.mineralogylab.com/software/entrapt).},
keywords = {Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, QuiG, Raman thermobarometry},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Elastic geobarometry allows us to estimate the pressure and temperature conditions of the entrapment of a mineral within a host from the residual pressure of the inclusion. The residual pressure is often calculated as the mean normal stress by applying the elastic tensor (Cij) measured at ambient pressure (1 bar) to the measured inclusion strains. While neglecting the pressure dependence of the Cij is a reasonable assumption for stiffer minerals such as olivine and zircon, this method may induce significant errors in the calculation of inclusion pressures and hence entrapment conditions of softer minerals like quartz trapped in stiff hosts such as garnets. Here we describe a method to calculate stress from the measured strains of quartz inclusions by considering the progressive stiffening of the elastic tensor of quartz with pressure, and discuss its implications for elastic geobarometry. Additionally, we extend this method to the stiffer olivine and zircon to emphasise its broader utility to ultra-high-pressure and temperature rocks and inclusions in diamonds. The changes in inclusion pressures for these latter two minerals are, however, not as significant as those in quartz, and it can be assumed that the elastic tensor remains invariant with pressure for most geological cases. A MATLAB code is provided with a comprehensive guide to calculate the inclusion pressures accounting for the change in the elastic tensor with pressure for quartz, olivine, and zircon. This code will be implemented within future updates of the online platform for elastic geothermobarometry EntraPT (https://www.mineralogylab.com/software/entrapt).
11.
Gonzalez J P; Mazzucchelli M L; Thomas J B; Angel R J; Darling R S; Atchinson K X; Gilio M; Alvaro M
Elastic thermobarometry of natural and experimental quartz inclusions in garnet (QuiG) under tension Journal Article
In: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, vol. 180, no. 10, pp. 70, 2025, ISSN: 1432-0967.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, Garnet, Quartz, QuiG, Raman thermobarometry
@article{gonzalez_elastic_2025,
title = {Elastic thermobarometry of natural and experimental quartz inclusions in garnet (QuiG) under tension},
author = {Joseph P. Gonzalez and Mattia L. Mazzucchelli and Jay B. Thomas and Ross J. Angel and Robert S. Darling and Khi X. Atchinson and Mattia Gilio and Matteo Alvaro},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-025-02252-2},
doi = {10.1007/s00410-025-02252-2},
issn = {1432-0967},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-09-01},
urldate = {2025-09-01},
journal = {Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology},
volume = {180},
number = {10},
pages = {70},
abstract = {Elastic thermobarometry has been rarely applied to quartz inclusions entrapped in garnet (QuiG) in granulite and igneous terranes, in part, because there is uncertainty about the reliability of the thermobarometric results arising from the quartz inclusions being subject to tensile strain and stress when examined at room conditions. Here, we present QuiG results from high-temperature metapelites from the Adirondacks, NY, USA and piston-cylinder experiments that give insight into the deformation behavior of quartz inclusions under tension. Measured remnant pressures (Pinc) of experimental and natural samples calculated using the quartz phonon mode Grüneisen tensor are too tensile with respect to the expected Pinc values based on experimental and petrologic constraints. We show that these discrepancies are not related to non-elastic deformation nor inaccuracies in the quartz equation of state. Evaluation of previous density functional theory (DFT) results shows that the structural response of quartz is non-linear with increasing tensile strain. Therefore, because the available quartz phonon mode Grüneisen tensor was determined with a linear fit optimized for compressive strains, obtained tensile strains using this tensor are too large in magnitude. Pinc values obtained using the hydrostatic calibrations of the 128 and 464 cm−1 peaks have better agreement with the expected values and return entrapment conditions that are consistent with petrologically constrained or known experimental pressures. Pinc values obtained through hydrostatic calibrations must nonetheless be treated with caution because the behavior of Raman phonon modes under tension has not been calibrated experimentally.},
keywords = {Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, Garnet, Quartz, QuiG, Raman thermobarometry},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Elastic thermobarometry has been rarely applied to quartz inclusions entrapped in garnet (QuiG) in granulite and igneous terranes, in part, because there is uncertainty about the reliability of the thermobarometric results arising from the quartz inclusions being subject to tensile strain and stress when examined at room conditions. Here, we present QuiG results from high-temperature metapelites from the Adirondacks, NY, USA and piston-cylinder experiments that give insight into the deformation behavior of quartz inclusions under tension. Measured remnant pressures (Pinc) of experimental and natural samples calculated using the quartz phonon mode Grüneisen tensor are too tensile with respect to the expected Pinc values based on experimental and petrologic constraints. We show that these discrepancies are not related to non-elastic deformation nor inaccuracies in the quartz equation of state. Evaluation of previous density functional theory (DFT) results shows that the structural response of quartz is non-linear with increasing tensile strain. Therefore, because the available quartz phonon mode Grüneisen tensor was determined with a linear fit optimized for compressive strains, obtained tensile strains using this tensor are too large in magnitude. Pinc values obtained using the hydrostatic calibrations of the 128 and 464 cm−1 peaks have better agreement with the expected values and return entrapment conditions that are consistent with petrologically constrained or known experimental pressures. Pinc values obtained through hydrostatic calibrations must nonetheless be treated with caution because the behavior of Raman phonon modes under tension has not been calibrated experimentally.
2024
10.
Gonzalez J P; Thomas J B; Mazzucchelli M L; Angel R J; Alvaro M
First evaluation of stiff-in-soft host–inclusion systems: experimental synthesis of zircon inclusions in quartz crystals Journal Article
In: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, vol. 179, no. 2, pp. 13, 2024, ISSN: 0010-7999, 1432-0967.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, Experiments, high-pressure, high-temperature, Quartz, Raman thermobarometry, Zircon
@article{gonzalez_first_2024,
title = {First evaluation of stiff-in-soft host–inclusion systems: experimental synthesis of zircon inclusions in quartz crystals},
author = {Joseph P. Gonzalez and Jay B. Thomas and Mattia L. Mazzucchelli and Ross J. Angel and Matteo Alvaro},
url = {https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00410-023-02081-1},
doi = {10.1007/s00410-023-02081-1},
issn = {0010-7999, 1432-0967},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-02-01},
urldate = {2024-02-01},
journal = {Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology},
volume = {179},
number = {2},
pages = {13},
abstract = {Quartz crystals with zircon inclusions were synthesized using a piston-cylinder apparatus to experimentally evaluate the use of inclusions in “soft” host minerals for elastic thermobarometry. Synthesized zircon inclusion strains and, therefore, pressures (Pinc) were measured using Raman spectroscopy and then compared with the expected inclusion strains and pressures calculated from elastic models. Measured inclusion strains and inclusion pressures are systematically more tensile than the expected values and, thus, re-calculated entrapment pressures are overestimated. These discrepancies are not caused by analytical biases or assumptions in the elastic models and strain calculations. Analysis shows that inclusion strain discrepancies progressively decrease with decreasing experimental temperature in the α-quartz field. This behavior is consistent with inelastic deformation of the host–inclusion pairs induced by the development of large differential stresses during experimental cooling. Therefore, inclusion strains are more reliable for inclusions trapped at lower temperature conditions in the α-quartz field where there is less inelastic deformation of the host–inclusion systems. On the other hand, entrapment isomekes of zircon inclusions entrapped in the β-quartz stability field plot along the α–β quartz phase boundary, suggesting that the inclusion strains were mechanically reset at the phase boundary during experimental cooling and decompression. Therefore, inclusions contained in soft host minerals can be used for elastic thermobarometry and inclusions contained in β-quartz may provide constraints on the P–T at which the host–inclusion system crossed the phase boundary during exhumation.},
keywords = {Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, Experiments, high-pressure, high-temperature, Quartz, Raman thermobarometry, Zircon},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Quartz crystals with zircon inclusions were synthesized using a piston-cylinder apparatus to experimentally evaluate the use of inclusions in “soft” host minerals for elastic thermobarometry. Synthesized zircon inclusion strains and, therefore, pressures (Pinc) were measured using Raman spectroscopy and then compared with the expected inclusion strains and pressures calculated from elastic models. Measured inclusion strains and inclusion pressures are systematically more tensile than the expected values and, thus, re-calculated entrapment pressures are overestimated. These discrepancies are not caused by analytical biases or assumptions in the elastic models and strain calculations. Analysis shows that inclusion strain discrepancies progressively decrease with decreasing experimental temperature in the α-quartz field. This behavior is consistent with inelastic deformation of the host–inclusion pairs induced by the development of large differential stresses during experimental cooling. Therefore, inclusion strains are more reliable for inclusions trapped at lower temperature conditions in the α-quartz field where there is less inelastic deformation of the host–inclusion systems. On the other hand, entrapment isomekes of zircon inclusions entrapped in the β-quartz stability field plot along the α–β quartz phase boundary, suggesting that the inclusion strains were mechanically reset at the phase boundary during experimental cooling and decompression. Therefore, inclusions contained in soft host minerals can be used for elastic thermobarometry and inclusions contained in β-quartz may provide constraints on the P–T at which the host–inclusion system crossed the phase boundary during exhumation.
2023
9.
Kohn M J; Mazzucchelli M L; Alvaro M
Elastic Thermobarometry Journal Article
In: Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, vol. 51, no. 1, 2023, (_eprint: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-031621-112720).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, Raman thermobarometry
@article{kohn_elastic_2023,
title = {Elastic Thermobarometry},
author = {Matthew J. Kohn and Mattia L. Mazzucchelli and Matteo Alvaro},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-031621-112720},
doi = {10.1146/annurev-earth-031621-112720},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
urldate = {2023-01-01},
journal = {Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences},
volume = {51},
number = {1},
abstract = {Upon exhumation and cooling, contrasting compressibilities and thermal expansivities induce differential strains (volume mismatches) between a host crystal and its inclusions. These strains can be quantified in situ using Raman spectroscopy or X-ray diffraction. Knowing equations of state and elastic properties of minerals, elastic thermobarometry inverts measured strains to calculate the pressure-temperature conditions under which the stress state was uniform in the host and inclusion. These are commonly interpreted to represent the conditions of inclusion entrapment. Modeling and experiments quantify corrections for inclusion shape, proximity to surfaces, and (most importantly) crystal-axis anisotropy, and they permit accurate application of the more common elastic thermobarometers. New research is exploring the conditions of crystal growth, reaction overstepping, and the magnitudes of differential stresses, as well as inelastic resetting of inclusion and host strain, and potential new thermobarometers for lower-symmetry minerals. ▪A physics-based method is revolutionizing calculations of metamorphic pressures and temperatures. ▪Inclusion shape, crystal anisotropy, and proximity to boundaries affect calculations but can be corrected for. ▪New results are leading petrologists to reconsider pressure-temperature conditions, differential stresses, and thermodynamic equilibrium. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Volume 51 is May 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.},
note = {_eprint: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-031621-112720},
keywords = {Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, Raman thermobarometry},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Upon exhumation and cooling, contrasting compressibilities and thermal expansivities induce differential strains (volume mismatches) between a host crystal and its inclusions. These strains can be quantified in situ using Raman spectroscopy or X-ray diffraction. Knowing equations of state and elastic properties of minerals, elastic thermobarometry inverts measured strains to calculate the pressure-temperature conditions under which the stress state was uniform in the host and inclusion. These are commonly interpreted to represent the conditions of inclusion entrapment. Modeling and experiments quantify corrections for inclusion shape, proximity to surfaces, and (most importantly) crystal-axis anisotropy, and they permit accurate application of the more common elastic thermobarometers. New research is exploring the conditions of crystal growth, reaction overstepping, and the magnitudes of differential stresses, as well as inelastic resetting of inclusion and host strain, and potential new thermobarometers for lower-symmetry minerals. ▪A physics-based method is revolutionizing calculations of metamorphic pressures and temperatures. ▪Inclusion shape, crystal anisotropy, and proximity to boundaries affect calculations but can be corrected for. ▪New results are leading petrologists to reconsider pressure-temperature conditions, differential stresses, and thermodynamic equilibrium. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Volume 51 is May 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
2022
8.
Murri M; Gonzalez J P; Mazzucchelli M L; Prencipe M; Mihailova B; Angel R J; Alvaro M
The role of symmetry-breaking strains on quartz inclusions in anisotropic hosts: Implications for Raman elastic geobarometry Journal Article
In: Lithos, vol. 422-423, pp. 106716, 2022, ISSN: 0024-4937.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: ab-initio, Crystallography, Density Functional Theory, DFT, Elastic anisotropy, Elastic thermobarometry, Raman spectroscopy, Raman thermobarometry
@article{murri_role_2022,
title = {The role of symmetry-breaking strains on quartz inclusions in anisotropic hosts: Implications for Raman elastic geobarometry},
author = {M. Murri and J. P. Gonzalez and M. L. Mazzucchelli and M. Prencipe and B. Mihailova and R. J. Angel and M. Alvaro},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024493722001256},
doi = {10.1016/j.lithos.2022.106716},
issn = {0024-4937},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-08-01},
urldate = {2022-08-01},
journal = {Lithos},
volume = {422-423},
pages = {106716},
abstract = {Raman elastic geobarometry for mineral host-inclusion systems is used to determine the strains acting on an inclusion still entrapped in its host by measuring its Raman wavenumber shifts which are interpreted through the phonon-mode Grüneisen tensors of the inclusion phase. The calculated inclusion strains can then be used in an elastic model to calculate the pressure and temperature conditions of entrapment. This method is applied frequently to host inclusion systems where the host is almost elastically isotropic (e.g. garnet) and the inclusion is elastically anisotropic (e.g. quartz and zircon). In this case, when the entrapment occurs under hydrostatic conditions the host will impose isotropic strains on the inclusion which in turn will develop non-hydrostatic stress. In this scenario the symmetry of the inclusion mineral is preserved and the strains in the inclusion can be measured via Raman spectroscopy using the phonon-mode Grüneisen tensor approach. However, a more complex situation arises when the host-inclusion system is fully anisotropic, such as when a quartz inclusion is entrapped within a zircon host, because the symmetry of the inclusion can be broken due to the external anisotropic strain field imposed on the inclusion by the host, which in turn will modify the phonon modes. We therefore calculated the strain states of quartz inclusions entrapped in zircon hosts in multiple orientations and at various geologically relevant pressure and temperature conditions. We then performed ab initio Hartree-Fock/Density Functional Theory (HF/DFT) simulations on α-quartz in these strain states. These HF/DFT simulations show that the changes in the positions of the Raman modes produced by strains that are expected for symmetry broken quartz inclusions in zircon are generally similar to those that would be seen if the quartz inclusions remained truly trigonal in symmetry. Therefore, the use of the trigonal phonon-mode Grüneisen tensor to determine the inclusion strains does not lead to geologically significant errors in calculated quartz inclusion entrapment pressures in zircon.},
keywords = {ab-initio, Crystallography, Density Functional Theory, DFT, Elastic anisotropy, Elastic thermobarometry, Raman spectroscopy, Raman thermobarometry},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Raman elastic geobarometry for mineral host-inclusion systems is used to determine the strains acting on an inclusion still entrapped in its host by measuring its Raman wavenumber shifts which are interpreted through the phonon-mode Grüneisen tensors of the inclusion phase. The calculated inclusion strains can then be used in an elastic model to calculate the pressure and temperature conditions of entrapment. This method is applied frequently to host inclusion systems where the host is almost elastically isotropic (e.g. garnet) and the inclusion is elastically anisotropic (e.g. quartz and zircon). In this case, when the entrapment occurs under hydrostatic conditions the host will impose isotropic strains on the inclusion which in turn will develop non-hydrostatic stress. In this scenario the symmetry of the inclusion mineral is preserved and the strains in the inclusion can be measured via Raman spectroscopy using the phonon-mode Grüneisen tensor approach. However, a more complex situation arises when the host-inclusion system is fully anisotropic, such as when a quartz inclusion is entrapped within a zircon host, because the symmetry of the inclusion can be broken due to the external anisotropic strain field imposed on the inclusion by the host, which in turn will modify the phonon modes. We therefore calculated the strain states of quartz inclusions entrapped in zircon hosts in multiple orientations and at various geologically relevant pressure and temperature conditions. We then performed ab initio Hartree-Fock/Density Functional Theory (HF/DFT) simulations on α-quartz in these strain states. These HF/DFT simulations show that the changes in the positions of the Raman modes produced by strains that are expected for symmetry broken quartz inclusions in zircon are generally similar to those that would be seen if the quartz inclusions remained truly trigonal in symmetry. Therefore, the use of the trigonal phonon-mode Grüneisen tensor to determine the inclusion strains does not lead to geologically significant errors in calculated quartz inclusion entrapment pressures in zircon.
2021
7.
Mazzucchelli M L; Angel R J; Alvaro M
EntraPT: An online platform for elastic geothermobarometry Journal Article
In: American Mineralogist, vol. 106, no. 5, pp. 830–837, 2021, ISSN: 0003-004X.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, Matlab, Raman thermobarometry, software development
@article{mazzucchelli_entrapt_2021,
title = {EntraPT: An online platform for elastic geothermobarometry},
author = {Mattia Luca Mazzucchelli and Ross John Angel and Matteo Alvaro},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2021-7693CCBYNCND},
doi = {10.2138/am-2021-7693CCBYNCND},
issn = {0003-004X},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-05-01},
urldate = {2021-05-01},
journal = {American Mineralogist},
volume = {106},
number = {5},
pages = {830--837},
abstract = {EntraPT is a web-based application for elastic geobarometry freely accessible at the “Fiorenzo Mazzi” experimental mineralogy lab website (http://www.mineralogylab.com/software/). It provides an easy-to-use tool to calculate the entrapment conditions of inclusions, with error propagation, from the residual strain measured in mineral inclusions. EntraPT establishes a method and a workflow to import and analyze the measured residual strains, correctly calculates the mean stress in the inclusions, computes the entrapment isomekes with uncertainty estimation, and visualizes all the results in relevant graphs. It enables the user to avoid the many possible errors that can arise from manual handling of the data and from the numerous steps required in geobarometry calculations. All of the data, parameters, and settings are stored in a consistent format and can be exported as project files and spreadsheets, and imported back to EntraPT for further analysis. This allows researchers to store and/or share their data easily, making the checking and the comparison of data and results reliable. EntraPT is an online tool that does not require any download and/or installation, and it will be updated in the future with new functionalities made available from advances in the development of elastic geobarometry.},
keywords = {Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, Matlab, Raman thermobarometry, software development},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
EntraPT is a web-based application for elastic geobarometry freely accessible at the “Fiorenzo Mazzi” experimental mineralogy lab website (http://www.mineralogylab.com/software/). It provides an easy-to-use tool to calculate the entrapment conditions of inclusions, with error propagation, from the residual strain measured in mineral inclusions. EntraPT establishes a method and a workflow to import and analyze the measured residual strains, correctly calculates the mean stress in the inclusions, computes the entrapment isomekes with uncertainty estimation, and visualizes all the results in relevant graphs. It enables the user to avoid the many possible errors that can arise from manual handling of the data and from the numerous steps required in geobarometry calculations. All of the data, parameters, and settings are stored in a consistent format and can be exported as project files and spreadsheets, and imported back to EntraPT for further analysis. This allows researchers to store and/or share their data easily, making the checking and the comparison of data and results reliable. EntraPT is an online tool that does not require any download and/or installation, and it will be updated in the future with new functionalities made available from advances in the development of elastic geobarometry.
6.
Campomenosi N; Scambelluri M; Angel R J; Hermann J; Mazzucchelli M L; Mihailova B; Piccoli F; Alvaro M
In: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, vol. 176, no. 5, pp. 36, 2021, ISSN: 1432-0967.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Elastic thermobarometry, Garnet, metamorphic rocks, petrology, Raman spectroscopy, Raman thermobarometry, Zircon
@article{campomenosi_using_2021,
title = {Using the elastic properties of zircon-garnet host-inclusion pairs for thermobarometry of the ultrahigh-pressure Dora-Maira whiteschists: problems and perspectives},
author = {Nicola Campomenosi and Marco Scambelluri and Ross J. Angel and Joerg Hermann and Mattia L. Mazzucchelli and Boriana Mihailova and Francesca Piccoli and Matteo Alvaro},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-021-01793-6},
doi = {10.1007/s00410-021-01793-6},
issn = {1432-0967},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-04-01},
urldate = {2021-04-01},
journal = {Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology},
volume = {176},
number = {5},
pages = {36},
abstract = {The ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) whiteschists of the Brossasco-Isasca unit (Dora-Maira Massif, Western Alps) provide a natural laboratory in which to compare results from classical pressure (P)–temperature (T) determinations through thermodynamic modelling with the emerging field of elastic thermobarometry. Phase equilibria and chemical composition of three garnet megablasts coupled with Zr-in-rutile thermometry of inclusions constrain garnet growth within a narrow P–T range at 3–3.5 GPa and 675–720 °C. On the other hand, the zircon-in-garnet host-inclusion system combined with Zr-in-rutile thermometry would suggest inclusion entrapment conditions below 1.5 GPa and 650 °C that are inconsistent with the thermodynamic modelling and the occurrence of coesite as inclusion in the garnet rims. The observed distribution of inclusion pressures cannot be explained by either zircon metamictization, or by the presence of fluids in the inclusions. Comparison of the measured inclusion strains with numerical simulations shows that post-entrapment plastic relaxation of garnet from metamorphic peak conditions down to 0.5 GPa and 600–650 °C, on the retrograde path, best explains the measured inclusion pressures and their disagreement with the results of phase equilibria modelling. This study suggests that the zircon-garnet couple is more reliable at relatively low temperatures (textless 600 °C), where entrapment conditions are well preserved but chemical equilibration might be sluggish. On the other hand, thermodynamic modelling appears to be better suited for higher temperatures where rock-scale equilibrium can be achieved more easily but the local plasticity of the host-inclusion system might prevent the preservation of the signal of peak metamorphic conditions in the stress state of inclusions. Currently, we cannot define a precise threshold temperature for resetting of inclusion pressures. However, the application of both chemical and elastic thermobarometry allows a more detailed interpretation of metamorphic P–T paths.},
keywords = {Elastic thermobarometry, Garnet, metamorphic rocks, petrology, Raman spectroscopy, Raman thermobarometry, Zircon},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) whiteschists of the Brossasco-Isasca unit (Dora-Maira Massif, Western Alps) provide a natural laboratory in which to compare results from classical pressure (P)–temperature (T) determinations through thermodynamic modelling with the emerging field of elastic thermobarometry. Phase equilibria and chemical composition of three garnet megablasts coupled with Zr-in-rutile thermometry of inclusions constrain garnet growth within a narrow P–T range at 3–3.5 GPa and 675–720 °C. On the other hand, the zircon-in-garnet host-inclusion system combined with Zr-in-rutile thermometry would suggest inclusion entrapment conditions below 1.5 GPa and 650 °C that are inconsistent with the thermodynamic modelling and the occurrence of coesite as inclusion in the garnet rims. The observed distribution of inclusion pressures cannot be explained by either zircon metamictization, or by the presence of fluids in the inclusions. Comparison of the measured inclusion strains with numerical simulations shows that post-entrapment plastic relaxation of garnet from metamorphic peak conditions down to 0.5 GPa and 600–650 °C, on the retrograde path, best explains the measured inclusion pressures and their disagreement with the results of phase equilibria modelling. This study suggests that the zircon-garnet couple is more reliable at relatively low temperatures (textless 600 °C), where entrapment conditions are well preserved but chemical equilibration might be sluggish. On the other hand, thermodynamic modelling appears to be better suited for higher temperatures where rock-scale equilibrium can be achieved more easily but the local plasticity of the host-inclusion system might prevent the preservation of the signal of peak metamorphic conditions in the stress state of inclusions. Currently, we cannot define a precise threshold temperature for resetting of inclusion pressures. However, the application of both chemical and elastic thermobarometry allows a more detailed interpretation of metamorphic P–T paths.
2020
5.
Alvaro M; Mazzucchelli M L; Angel R J; Murri M; Campomenosi N; Scambelluri M; Nestola F; Korsakov A; Tomilenko A A; Marone F; Morana M
Fossil subduction recorded by quartz from the coesite stability field Journal Article
In: Geology, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 24–28, 2020, ISSN: 19432682.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Deviatoric stress, Elastic anisotropy, Elastic thermobarometry, petrology, Raman thermobarometry, Single-crystal X-ray diffraction
@article{Alvaro2020,
title = {Fossil subduction recorded by quartz from the coesite stability field},
author = {M. Alvaro and M. L. Mazzucchelli and Ross John Angel and M. Murri and N. Campomenosi and M. Scambelluri and F. Nestola and A. Korsakov and A. A. Tomilenko and F. Marone and M. Morana},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1130/G46617.1},
doi = {10.1130/G46617.1},
issn = {19432682},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
urldate = {2020-01-01},
journal = {Geology},
volume = {48},
number = {1},
pages = {24--28},
abstract = {Metamorphic rocks are the records of plate tectonic processes whose reconstruction relies on correct estimates of the pressures and temperatures (P-T) experienced by these rocks through time. Unlike chemical geothermobarometry, elastic geobarometry does not rely on chemical equilibrium between minerals, so it has the potential to provide information on overstepping of reaction boundaries and to identify other examples of non-equilibrium behavior in rocks. Here we introduce a method that exploits the anisotropy in elastic properties of minerals to determine the unique P and T of entrapment from a single inclusion in a mineral host. We apply it to preserved quartz inclusions in garnet from eclogite xenoliths hosted in Yakutian kimberlites (Russia). Our results demonstrate that quartz trapped in garnet can be preserved when the rock reaches the stability field of coesite (the high-pressure and hightemperature polymorph of quartz) at 3 GPa and 850 °C. This supports a metamorphic origin for these xenoliths and sheds light on the mechanisms of craton accretion from a subducted crustal protolith. Furthermore, we show that interpreting P and T conditions reached by a rock from the simple phase identification of key inclusion minerals can be misleading.},
keywords = {Deviatoric stress, Elastic anisotropy, Elastic thermobarometry, petrology, Raman thermobarometry, Single-crystal X-ray diffraction},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Metamorphic rocks are the records of plate tectonic processes whose reconstruction relies on correct estimates of the pressures and temperatures (P-T) experienced by these rocks through time. Unlike chemical geothermobarometry, elastic geobarometry does not rely on chemical equilibrium between minerals, so it has the potential to provide information on overstepping of reaction boundaries and to identify other examples of non-equilibrium behavior in rocks. Here we introduce a method that exploits the anisotropy in elastic properties of minerals to determine the unique P and T of entrapment from a single inclusion in a mineral host. We apply it to preserved quartz inclusions in garnet from eclogite xenoliths hosted in Yakutian kimberlites (Russia). Our results demonstrate that quartz trapped in garnet can be preserved when the rock reaches the stability field of coesite (the high-pressure and hightemperature polymorph of quartz) at 3 GPa and 850 °C. This supports a metamorphic origin for these xenoliths and sheds light on the mechanisms of craton accretion from a subducted crustal protolith. Furthermore, we show that interpreting P and T conditions reached by a rock from the simple phase identification of key inclusion minerals can be misleading.
2018
4.
Murri M; Mazzucchelli M L; Campomenosi N; Korsakov A V; Prencipe M; Mihailova B D; Scambelluri M; Angel R J; Alvaro M
Raman elastic geobarometry for anisotropic mineral inclusions Journal Article
In: American Mineralogist, vol. 103, no. 11, pp. 1869–1872, 2018, ISSN: 0003004X.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: ab-initio, Density Functional Theory, Deviatoric stress, DFT, Elastic anisotropy, Elastic thermobarometry, metamorphic rocks, Raman spectroscopy, Raman thermobarometry
@article{murri_raman_2018,
title = {Raman elastic geobarometry for anisotropic mineral inclusions},
author = {Mara Murri and Mattia Luca Mazzucchelli and Nicola Campomenosi and Andrey V. Korsakov and Mauro Prencipe and Boriana D. Mihailova and Marco Scambelluri and Ross John Angel and Matteo Alvaro},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2018-6625CCBY},
doi = {10.2138/am-2018-6625CCBY},
issn = {0003004X},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-11-01},
urldate = {2018-11-01},
journal = {American Mineralogist},
volume = {103},
number = {11},
pages = {1869--1872},
keywords = {ab-initio, Density Functional Theory, Deviatoric stress, DFT, Elastic anisotropy, Elastic thermobarometry, metamorphic rocks, Raman spectroscopy, Raman thermobarometry},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2017
3.
Angel R J; Mazzucchelli M L; Alvaro M; Nestola F
EosFit-Pinc: A simple GUI for host-inclusion elastic thermobarometry Journal Article
In: American Mineralogist, vol. 102, no. 9, pp. 1957–1960, 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, equations of state, Fortran, Raman thermobarometry, software development
@article{angel2017eosfit,
title = {EosFit-Pinc: A simple GUI for host-inclusion elastic thermobarometry},
author = {Ross John Angel and Mattia Luca Mazzucchelli and Matteo Alvaro and Fabrizio Nestola},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2017-6190},
doi = {10.2138/am-2017-6190},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
urldate = {2017-01-01},
journal = {American Mineralogist},
volume = {102},
number = {9},
pages = {1957--1960},
abstract = {Elastic geothermobarometry is a method of determining metamorphic conditions from the excess pressures exhibited by mineral inclusions trapped inside host minerals. An exact solution to the problem of combining non-linear Equations of State (EoS) with the elastic relaxation problem for elastically isotropic spherical host-inclusion systems without any approximations of linear elasticity is presented. The solution is encoded into a Windows GUI program EosFit-Pinc. The program performs host-inclusion calculations for spherical inclusions in elastically isotropic systems with full P-V-T EoS for both phases, with a wide variety of EoS types. The EoS values of any minerals can be loaded into the program for calculations. EosFit-Pinc calculates the isomeke of possible entrapment conditions from the pressure of an inclusion measured when the host is at any external pressure and temperature (including room conditions), and it can calculate final inclusion pressures from known entrapment conditions. It also calculates isomekes and isochors of the two phases.},
keywords = {Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, equations of state, Fortran, Raman thermobarometry, software development},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Elastic geothermobarometry is a method of determining metamorphic conditions from the excess pressures exhibited by mineral inclusions trapped inside host minerals. An exact solution to the problem of combining non-linear Equations of State (EoS) with the elastic relaxation problem for elastically isotropic spherical host-inclusion systems without any approximations of linear elasticity is presented. The solution is encoded into a Windows GUI program EosFit-Pinc. The program performs host-inclusion calculations for spherical inclusions in elastically isotropic systems with full P-V-T EoS for both phases, with a wide variety of EoS types. The EoS values of any minerals can be loaded into the program for calculations. EosFit-Pinc calculates the isomeke of possible entrapment conditions from the pressure of an inclusion measured when the host is at any external pressure and temperature (including room conditions), and it can calculate final inclusion pressures from known entrapment conditions. It also calculates isomekes and isochors of the two phases.
2015
2.
Milani S; Nestola F; Alvaro M; Pasqual D; Mazzucchelli M L; Domeneghetti M C; Geiger C A
Diamond–garnet geobarometry: The role of garnet compressibility and expansivity Journal Article
In: Lithos, vol. 227, no. 0, pp. 140–147, 2015.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Crystallography, Diamond, Elastic thermobarometry, equations of state, Experiments, Garnet, petrology, Raman thermobarometry, Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermal expansion, thermodynamics
@article{Milani2015,
title = {Diamond–garnet geobarometry: The role of garnet compressibility and expansivity},
author = {Sula Milani and Fabrizio Nestola and Matteo Alvaro and Daria Pasqual and Mattia Luca Mazzucchelli and M C Domeneghetti and C A Geiger},
url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024493715001097},
doi = {10.1016/j.lithos.2015.03.017},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-01-01},
urldate = {2015-01-01},
journal = {Lithos},
volume = {227},
number = {0},
pages = {140--147},
keywords = {Crystallography, Diamond, Elastic thermobarometry, equations of state, Experiments, Garnet, petrology, Raman thermobarometry, Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermal expansion, thermodynamics},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2014
1.
Angel R J; Mazzucchelli M L; Alvaro M; Nimis P; Nestola F
Geobarometry from host-inclusion systems: The role of elastic relaxation Journal Article
In: American Mineralogist, vol. 99, no. 10, pp. 2146–2149, 2014, ISSN: 19453027.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, equations of state, Raman thermobarometry
@article{Angel2014relaxation,
title = {Geobarometry from host-inclusion systems: The role of elastic relaxation},
author = {Ross John Angel and Mattia Luca Mazzucchelli and Matteo Alvaro and Paolo Nimis and Fabrizio Nestola},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2014-5047},
doi = {10.2138/am-2014-5047},
issn = {19453027},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-01-01},
urldate = {2014-01-01},
journal = {American Mineralogist},
volume = {99},
number = {10},
pages = {2146--2149},
abstract = {© 2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston. Minerals trapped as inclusions within other host minerals can develop residual stresses on exhumation as a result of the differences between the thermo-elastic properties of the host and inclusion phases. The determination of possible entrapment pressures and temperatures from this residual stress requires the mutual elastic relaxation of the host and inclusion to be determined. Previous estimates of this relaxation have relied on the assumption of linear elasticity theory. We present a new formulation of the problem that avoids this assumption. We show that for soft inclusions such as quartz in relatively stiff host materials such as garnet, the previous analysis yields entrapment pressures in error by the order of 0.1 GPa. The error is larger for hosts that have smaller shear moduli than garnet.},
keywords = {Elastic thermobarometry, Elasticity, equations of state, Raman thermobarometry},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
© 2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston. Minerals trapped as inclusions within other host minerals can develop residual stresses on exhumation as a result of the differences between the thermo-elastic properties of the host and inclusion phases. The determination of possible entrapment pressures and temperatures from this residual stress requires the mutual elastic relaxation of the host and inclusion to be determined. Previous estimates of this relaxation have relied on the assumption of linear elasticity theory. We present a new formulation of the problem that avoids this assumption. We show that for soft inclusions such as quartz in relatively stiff host materials such as garnet, the previous analysis yields entrapment pressures in error by the order of 0.1 GPa. The error is larger for hosts that have smaller shear moduli than garnet.
Accepted / in press
- Mazzucchelli, M. L., Cordier, P., & Trepmann, C. A. (2026). Carrying the planet on their backs: how minerals respond to stress. Elements.
In preparation / submitted
- Mazzucchelli, M.L., Moulas, E., Schmalholz, S.M., Kaus, B., Speck, T. Instability of fluid-mineral equilibrium under non-hydrostatic stress investigated with molecular dynamics. Submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. Download preprint →
- Mazzucchelli, M.L., Moulas, E., Schmalholz, S.M. Multiscale modelling of stress at solid-fluid interfaces: implications for the interplay of deformation and mineral reactions.