Melting of Garnet Peridotite and the Origin of Komatiite and Depleted Lithosphere

Melting experiments on fertile peridotite KR4003, a 'pyrolitic' composition, were made from 3 to 7 GPa in piston-cylinder and multi-anvil apparatus. Temperature gradients across the sample were minimized (7 GPa from a mantle enriched in SiO2 relative to pyrolite.