A series of Si-bearing MgAl 2 O 4 -spinels were synthesized at 1500-1650 • C and 3-6 GPa. These spinels had SiO 2 contents of up to~1.03 wt % and showed a substitution mechanism of Si 4+ + Mg 2+ = 2Al 3+ . Unpolarized Raman spectra were collected from polished single grains, and displayed a set of well-defined Raman peaks at~610, 823, 856 and 968 cm −1 that had not been observed before. Aided by the Raman features of natural Si-free MgAl 2 O 4 -spinel, synthetic Si-free MgAl 2 O 4 -spinel, natural low quartz, synthetic coesite, synthetic stishovite and synthetic forsterite, we infer that these Raman peaks should belong to the SiO 4 groups. The relations between the Raman intensities and SiO 2 contents of the Si-bearing MgAl 2 O 4 -spinels suggest that under some P-T conditions, some Si must adopt the M-site. Unlike the SiO 4 groups with very intense Raman signals, the SiO 6 groups are largely Raman-inactive. We further found that the Si cations primarily appear on the T-site at P-T conditions ≤~3-4 GPa and 1500 • C, but attain a random distribution between the T-site and M-site at P-T conditions ≥~5-6 GPa and 1630-1650 • C. This Si-disordering process observed for the Si-bearing MgAl 2 O 4 -spinels suggests that similar Si-disordering might happen to the (Mg,Fe) 2 SiO 4 -spinels (ringwoodite), the major phase in the lower part of the mantle transition zone of the Earth and the benchmark mineral for the very strong shock stage experienced by extraterrestrial materials. The likely consequences have been explored.

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