Low-Temperature Chlorite Geothermometry and Related Recent Analytical Advances: A Review

Abstract

Chlorite, a 2:1:1 phyllosilicate, has all the required attributes to form the basis of a geothermometer: this mineral is ubiquitous in metamorphic, diagenetic, and hydrothermal systems with a broad field of stability and a chemical composition partly dependent on temperature (T) and pressure (P) conditions. These properties led to the development of a multitude of chlorite thermometers, ranging from those based on empirical calibrations (linking T to AlIV content) to thermodynamic or semi-empirical models (linking T to chlorite + quartz + water equilibrium constant). This present study provides an overview of these geothermometers proposed in the literature for low-temperature chlorite (T < 350 °C), specifying the advantages and limitations of each method. Recent analytical developments that allow for circumventing or responding to certain criticisms regarding the low-temperature application of thermometers are also presented. The emphasis is on micrometric and nanometric analysis, highlighting chemical intracrystalline zoning—which can be considered as evidence of a succession of local equilibria justifying a thermometric approach—and mapping ferric iron content. New perspectives in terms of analysis (e.g., Mn redox in Mn-chlorite) and geothermometer (molecular solid-solution model, oxychlorite end-member) are also addressed.