Trace Elements as Essential Structural Constituents of Accessory Minerals: The Solubility Concept

The concept of partition coefficient becomes useless for elements that form a significant (stoichiometric) portion of a mineral. Such is the case for many accessory minerals including zircon (controlling Zr) and monazite (controlling LREE and Th). In this case, a more appropriate concept is that of solubility (of the accessory mineral). This chapter presents several (empirical) solubility laws for various accessory minerals, and discusses how this concept will affect the evolution of melts during common processes such as melting or crystallization.