Critical assessment of pressure estimates in volcanic plumbing systems: The case study of Popocatépetl volcano, Mexico

Most geobarometers use chemical compositions of minerals and their host melt to estimate crystallization pressures. Crystal structural parameters such as cell and site volumes are not usually considered despite their known sensitivity to pressure. Here, we compare two clinopyroxene geobarometers based upon electron microprobe analysis alone and coupled with single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The case study is the plumbing system of Popocatépetl volcano (Mexico), which consists of three distinct magma reservoirs in upper, middle and lower crustal depths, represented by three compositionally and texturally distinct clinopyroxene populations (T1, Mg# core <78, T2, Mg# core >82, and low-Ca with a lower wollastonite component). These clinopyroxenes are augites of limited compositional variability, although yielding a significant increase in cell (V cell) and M1 site (V M1) volumes from low-Ca and T2 core clinopyroxenes to T1 (core and rim) and T2 (rim) clinopyroxenes. This variation is not due to chemical or temperature effects but is linked to their depth of crystallization. The application of the geobarometer based on chemical composition alone is unable to distinguish the three different reservoirs postulated on volcanological and petrological grounds. In contrast, the application of the geobarometer based on both structural parameters and chemical composition yields a remarkable correlation between the calculated cell volume and the estimated depth of crystallization of the different clinopyroxenes, including core to rim differences.