Density of hydrous silicate melt at the conditions of Earth's deep upper mantle

Kyoko N. Matsukage (), Zhicheng Jing and Shun-ichiro Karato
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Kyoko N. Matsukage: Ibaraki University
Zhicheng Jing: Yale University
Shun-ichiro Karato: Yale University

Nature, 2005, vol. 438, issue 7067, 488-491

Abstract: Abstract The chemical evolution of the Earth and the terrestrial planets is largely controlled by the density of silicate melts. If melt density is higher than that of the surrounding solid, incompatible elements dissolved in the melt will be sequestered in the deep mantle1,2. Previous studies on dry (water-free) melts showed that the density of silicate melts can be higher than that of surrounding solids under deep mantle conditions3,4,5,6,7,8. However, melts formed under deep mantle conditions are also likely to contain some water2, which will reduce the melt density. Here we present data constraining the density of hydrous silicate melt at the conditions of ∼410 km depth. We show that the water in the silicate melt is more compressible than the other components, and therefore the effect of water in reducing melt density is markedly diminished under high-pressure conditions. Our study indicates that there is a range of conditions under which a (hydrous) melt could be trapped at the 410-km boundary and hence incompatible elements could be sequestered in the deep mantle, although these conditions are sensitive to melt composition as well as the composition of the surrounding mantle.

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04241

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