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American Mineralogist: Journal of Earth and Planetary Materials

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List of Necessary Items for Experimental Documentation

(Modified from Table 3.2.1 in the book Basalt Volcanism on Terrestrial Planets)

Most or all of the following can be placed into an electronic appendix, but must be made available to reviewers and the AE for review purposes.

  1. Goal of the experiments

  2. Documentation of starting materials

    —natural or synthetic

    —preparation procedures (oxide mix or gel, grinding methods, temperature, oxygen fugacity, etc. of preparation)

    —state (crystalline, glassy, gel)

    —mineralogy if crystalline

    —grain size and grain size distribution

    —composition after preparation and before use

  3. Experimental apparatus

  4. Thermocouple type, calibration and uncertainties

  5. Pressure measurement method, calibration and uncertainties

  6. Methods of temperature and pressure controlled

  7. Oxygen fugacity (controlled or uncontrolled, method of measurement and error)

  8. Method of addition of volatiles and uncertainty

  9. Sample container

    —material(s)

    —open or sealed capsule

  10. Pressure-temperature path during the experiments (heating and cooling rates and time at each temperature and pressure)

  11. Quenching method and rate to reach a specified temperature

  12. Special treatment, if any, during opening of the experimental capsule (e.g., freezing of a volatile phase)

  13. Evaluation of attainment of equilibrium for phase equilibrium experiments

  14. Demonstration of reproducibility and/or consistency for kinetic experiments

  15. Phase composition data in Excel or other spreadsheet format; could be made ready for incorporation into the database Library of Experimental Phase Relations (LEPR; http://lepr.ofm-research.org/; Hisrshmann et al. 2008, G3, vol. 9, DOI: 10.1029/2007GC001894).