Fractional crystallizationisoneofthemostimportantgeochemicalandphysicalprocessesoperating

withintheEarth'scrustandmantle.Fractionalcrystallizationistheremovalandsegregationfromameltof
mineralprecipitates;exceptinspecialcases,removalofthecrystalschangesthecompositionofthe
magma.[1]Fractionalcrystallizationinsilicatemelts(magmas)iscomplexcomparedtocrystallizationin
chemicalsystemsatconstantpressureandcomposition,becausechangesinpressureandcomposition
canhavedramaticeffectsonmagmaevolution.Additionandlossofwater,carbondioxide,hydrogen,and
oxygenareamongthecompositionalchangesthatmustbeconsidered.Forexample,thepartialpressure(
fugacity)ofwaterinsilicatemeltscanbeofprimeimportance,asinnear-soliduscrystallizationofmagmas
ofgranitecomposition.Thecrystallizationsequenceofoxidemineralssuchasmagnetiteandulvospinelis
sensitivetotheoxygenfugacityofmelts,andseparationoftheoxidephasescanbeanimportantcontrolof
silicaconcentrationintheevolvingmagma,andmaybeimportantinandesitegenesis.

Oneexampleconcernscrystallizationofmeltsthatformmaficand
ultramaficrocks.MgOandSiO2concentrationsinmeltsareamong
thevariablesthatdeterminewhetherforsteriteolivineorenstatite
pyroxeneisprecipitated,butthewatercontentandpressureare
alsoimportant.Insomecompositions,athighpressureswithout
watercrystallizationofenstatiteisfavored,butinthepresenceof
waterathighpressures,olivineisfavored.

Graniticmagmasprovideadditionalexamplesofhowmeltsofgenerallysimilar
compositionandtemperature,butatdifferentpressure,maycrystallizedifferent
minerals.Pressuredeterminesthemaximumwatercontentofamagmaof
granitecomposition.High-temperaturefractionalcrystallizationofrelatively
water-poorgranitemagmasmayproducesingle-alkali-feldspargranite,and
lower-temperaturecrystallizationofrelativelywater-richmagmamayproduce
two-feldspargranite.
Duringtheprocessoffractionalcrystallization,meltsbecomeenrichedin
incompatibleelements.Hence,knowledgeofthecrystallizationsequenceis
criticalinunderstandinghowmeltcompositionsevolve.Texturesofrocks
provideinsights,asdocumentedintheearly1900sbyBowen'sreactionseries.
Experimentally-determinedphasediagramsforsimplemixturesprovideinsights
intogeneralprinciples.Numericalcalculationswithspecialsoftwarehave
becomeincreasinglyabletosimulatenaturalprocessesaccurately.