Decrepitation and crack healing of fluid inclusions in San Carlos olivine

We developed a linear elastic fracture mechanics model to analyze new data on decrepitation and crack arrest in San Carlos olivine, compared the model with previous fluid inclusion investigations, and used it to interpret some natural decrepitation microstructures. The common experimental observation that smaller inclusions may sustain higher internal fluid pressures without decrepitating may be rationalized by assuming that flaws associated with the inclusion scale with the inclusion size. Further experiments show that healing rates depend on the crack geometry, temperature, and chemistry of the buffering gas. -from Authors