The effect of water on the electrical conductivity of olivine

Duojun Wang, Mainak Mookherjee, Yousheng Xu and Shun-ichiro Karato ()
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Duojun Wang: Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Mainak Mookherjee: Yale University
Yousheng Xu: Yale University
Shun-ichiro Karato: Yale University

Nature, 2006, vol. 443, issue 7114, 977-980

Abstract: Rising damp? The properties of the Earth's mantle (such as viscosity and melting temperature) are strongly influenced by the amount of water there. However, determining the mantle's water content has remained challenging. It has been suggested that hydration of olivine minerals is the cause of the high electrical conductivity of the asthenosphere (the deformable layer beneath the crust and upper mantle), but the effect of water on such minerals (via incorporation of hydrogen) has yet to be determined in the laboratory. Two groups now report experiments on the effect of hydrogen on olivine conductivity. Both find that small amounts of hydrogen increase electrical conductivity dramatically, but their conclusions regarding whether this hydration explains the observed mantle conductivity are at odds. Clearly, more work is needed to determine the factors behind this discrepancy.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05256

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