The geochemical cycle of boron: Constraints from boron isotope partitioning experiments between mica and fluid

The fractionation of boron isotopes between synthetic boromuscovite and fluid was experimentally determined at 3.0 GPa/500 °C and 3.0 GPa/700 °C. For near-neutral fluids Δ11B(mica-fluid) = δ11B(mica) − δ11B(fluid) is − 10.9 ± 1.3‰ at 500 °C, and − 6.5 ± 0.4‰ at 700 °C. This supports earlier assumptions that the main fractionation effect is due to the change from trigonal coordination of boron in neutral fluids to tetrahedrally coordinated boron in micas, clays and melts. The T-dependence of this effect is approximated by the equation Δ11B(mica,clay,melt–neutral fluid) = − 10.69 · (1000/T [K]) + 3.88; R2 = 0.992, valid from 25 °C for fluid–clay up to about 1000 °C for fluid–silicate melt. Experiments at 0.4 GPa that used strongly basic fluids produced significantly lower fractionations with Δ11B(mica–fluid) of − 7.4 ± 1.0‰ at 400 °C, and − 4.8 ± 1.0‰ at 500 °C, showing the reduced fractionation effect when large amounts of boron in basic fluids are tetrahedrally coordinated. Field studies have shown that boron concentrations and 11B/10B-ratios in volcanic arcs systematically decrease across the arc with increasing distance from the trench, thus reflecting the thermal structure of the subducting slab. Our experiments show that the boron isotopic signature in volcanic arcs probably results from continuous dehydration of micas along a distinct P–T range. Continuous slab dehydration and boron transport via fluid into the mantle wedge is responsible for the boron isotopic signature in volcanic arcs.