Thermal diffusivity measurement of rock-forming minerals from 300° to 1100°K

Abstract

Measurement of thermal diffusivity, K, of fused silica, quartz, olivine, periclase, jadeite, garnet, spinel, corundum and alkali feldspar was made at 1‐atm pressure and over the temperature range from 300° to 1100°K. All the samples are of gem quality but of millimeter size. The Ångström method was slightly modified to be applicable to small samples. For all the minerals except feldspar 1/κ increases almost linearly with temperature up to 700°K, as expected from the theory of lattice conduction. Tightly packed minerals, such as periclase, spinel, and corundum, have a diffusivity 3 to 10 times as large as that of other minerals. At temperatures higher than 700°K, 1/κ decreases with temperature for some minerals. This decrease can be interpreted as being due to radiative heat transfer within the crystals, if the opacity of the minerals is in the range 6 to 20 cm^(−1). High‐temperature optical data are essential for a detailed discussion of the radiation effect.

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