In situ x-ray diffraction measurements of MgSiO 3 were performed at high pressure and temperature similar to the conditions at Earth's core-mantle boundary. Results demonstrate that MgSiO 3 perovskite transforms to a new high-pressure form with stacked SiO 6 -octahedral sheet structure above 125 gigapascals and 2500 kelvin (2700-kilometer depth near the base of the mantle) with an increase in density of 1.0 to 1.2%. The origin of the D″ seismic discontinuity may be attributed to this post-perovskite phase transition. The new phase may have large elastic anisotropy and develop preferred orientation with platy crystal shape in the shear flow that can cause strong seismic anisotropy below the D″ discontinuity.

The determination of the chemical composition of Earth's lower mantle is a long-standing challenge in earth science. Accurate knowledge of sound velocities in the lower-mantle minerals under relevant high-pressure, high-temperature conditions is essential in constraining the mineralogy and chemical composition using seismological observations, but previous acoustic measurements were limited to a range of low pressures and temperatures. Here we determine the shear-wave velocities for silicate perovskite and ferropericlase under the pressure and temperature conditions of the deep lower mantle using Brillouin scattering spectroscopy. The mineralogical model that provides the best fit to a global seismic velocity profile indicates that perovskite constitutes more than 93 per cent by volume of the lower mantle, which is a much higher proportion than that predicted by the conventional peridotitic mantle model. It suggests that the lower mantle is enriched in silicon relative to the upper mantle, which is consistent with the chondritic Earth model. Such chemical stratification implies layered-mantle convection with limited mass transport between the upper and the lower mantle.

MgSiO3 perovskite has been assumed to be the dominant component of the Earth's lower mantle, although this phase alone cannot explain the discontinuity in seismic velocities observed 200-300 km above the core-mantle boundary (the D" discontinuity) or the polarization anisotropy observed in the lowermost mantle. Experimental and theoretical studies that have attempted to attribute these phenomena to a phase transition in the perovskite phase have tended to simply confirm the stability of the perovskite phase. However, recent in situ X-ray diffraction measurements have revealed a transition to a 'post-perovskite' phase above 125 GPa and 2,500 K--conditions close to those at the D" discontinuity. Here we show the results of first-principles calculations of the structure, stability and elasticity of both phases at zero temperature. We find that the post-perovskite phase becomes the stable phase above 98 GPa, and may be responsible for the observed seismic discontinuity and anisotropy in the lowermost mantle. Although our ground-state calculations of the unit cell do not include the effects of temperature and minor elements, they do provide a consistent explanation for a number of properties of the D" layer.

Phase relations of a natural mantle composition were determined up to 126 GPa and 2450 K by in‐situ x‐ray diffraction measurements in a laser‐heated diamond‐anvil cell (LHDAC). MgSiO3‐rich perovskite (MgPv) transforms to a post‐perovskite phase (MgPP) at about 113 GPa and 2500 K (400‐km above the core‐mantle boundary) and the lowermost mantle consists of MgPP, (Mg, Fe)O magnesiowüstite (Mw), and CaSiO3‐rich perovskite (CaPv). Chemical analyses on recovered samples using transmission electron microscope (TEM) show that the distribution of iron significantly changes at the post‐perovskite phase transition. A strong enrichment of iron in Mw leads to the unique geophysical and geochemical properties of the lowermost mantle.

[1] Here we report the phase boundary between CaCl 2 -type and a-PbO 2 -type silica at high pressure and temperature up to 151 GPa and 2500-K determined by in-situ X-ray measurements in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Amorphous silica was used as starting material, and the sample was heated for more than 1.5 hr to examine the kinetic effects. The results demonstrated that the CaCl 2 -type silica is a post-stishovite phase and that it undergoes further transition to the a-PbO 2 -type structure above 121 GPa at 2400-K. Present data together with previous first-principles calculations indicate that the phase boundary between CaCl 2 -type and a-PbO 2 -type silica is represented by a linear equation P (GPa) = 98 + (0.0095 ± 0.0016) * T (K). The a-PbO 2 -type silica can be present in the deep portion of the lower mantle in the silica-saturated bulk compositions. This phase transition might contribute to the seismic wave velocity anomalies observed in the D 00 region.

Secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements show that Earth's representative lower mantle minerals synthesized in a natural peridotitic composition can dissolve considerable amounts of hydrogen. Both MgSiO3-rich perovskite and magnesiowüstite contain about 0.2 weight percent (wt%) H2O, and CaSiO3-rich perovskite contains about 0.4 wt% H2O. The OH absorption bands in Mg-perovskite and magnesiowüstite were also confirmed with the use of infrared microspectroscopic measurements. Earth's lower mantle may store about five times more H2O than the oceans.

No abstract

No abstract