Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Phase equilibrium data pertaining to melting of simplified carbonated peridotite in the systems CaO-MgO-SiO2-CO2 and CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 at pressures of 10-26 GPa, corresponding to similar to 300-750 km depths in the Earth, are presented. In both the studied systems, liquid compositions, with changing crystalline phase assemblage, are carbonatitic throughout the studied pressure range. In the system CMS-CO2, melting phase relations are isobarically invariant; liquid is in equilibrium with forsterite + clinoenstatite + clinopyroxene + magnesite, forsterite + majorite + clinopyroxene + magnesite, wadsleyite + majorite + clinopyroxene + magnesite, ringwoodite + majorite + calcium-silicate perovskite + magnesite, magnesium-silicate perovskite + periclase + calcium-silicate perovskite + magnesite at 12, 14, 16, 20, and 26 GPa, respectively. In the system CMAS-CO2, a phase assemblage consisting of forsterite + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + magnesite + garnet + melt from 10 to 14 GPa is isobarically invariant. However, owing to the disappearance of orthopyroxene at pressures greater than 14 GPa, from 16 and up to at least 26 GPa, the solidus of simplified carbonated peridotite spans a divariant surface in pressure-temperature space. The liquid coexists with wadsleyite + clinopyroxene + garnet + magnesite, ringwoodite + calcium-silicate perovskite + garnet + magnesite, and magnesium-silicate perovskite + periclase + calcium-silicate perovskite + magnesite at 16, 20, and 26 GPa, respectively. A curious, and as yet unexplained, feature of our study is an abrupt drop in the solidus temperature between 14 and 16 GPa that causes a small amount of melting of carbonated mantle in the Transition Zone of the Earth. In the systems CMS-CO2 and CMAS-CO2 liquid compositions at 16 and 20 GPa are highly calcic bona fide carbonatites; however, these liquids revert to being magnesiocarbonatites at 10-14 and 26 GPa. In the system CMS-CO2, at 16 GPa we locate an isobaric invariant point consisting of wadsleyite + clinopyroxene + anhydrous B + magnesite + melt. The presence of anhydrous B at 16 GPa and 1475 degrees C is interesting, as it lies outside the composition space of the mantle peridotite analog we have studied. However, despite the presence of two highly magnesian silicate crystalline phases, wadsleyite and anhydrous B, at 16 GPa and 1475 degrees C, the liquid composition remains calcic with molar Ca-number [Ca/(Ca + Mg) x 100] of about 63. The melting reactions at 16 and 20 GPa (with or without anhydrous B) show that lime-bearing crystalline silicates play a fairly large part in generating and controlling the composition of the liquids. At 16 GPa, in the system CMS-CO2, we also report an experimental run at 1575 degrees C, in which liquid coexists with only wadsleyite and majorite. The liquid composition is less calcic (Ca-number 54) than that for other runs at lower temperatures, but is still more calcic than liquids at 10-14 and 26 GPa in both the studied systems. At present, the likely cause for these changes in the reported phase relations is not known. For normally assumed mantle temperatures, melting in the Transition Zone of the Earth, owing to the presence of carbonate, is probably unavoidable. The depth range of the drop in the carbonated peridotite solidus closely matches that of commonly observed low seismic velocities at similar to 400-600 km depth in the Earth.
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-00669945
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00669945
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egr048

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : We have studied the phase transformation of forsterite to wadsleyite under shear stress at the Earth's transition zone pressure and temperature conditions. Two-step experiments were performed using a multi-anvil press. First, we hot pressed iron-free forsterite at 6 or 11 GPa and 1100 degrees C. Then we deformed a slab of this starting material using a direct simple shear assembly at 16 GPa and 1400 degrees C for 1, 15, 35, 40, or 60 min. Both the starting material and the deformed samples were characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy including measurements of crystal preferred orientations (CPO) by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The phase transformation occurs very rapidly, in less than 1 min, and metastable forsterite relics are not observed after deformation. The grain size of wadsleyite is slightly smaller than the forsterite starting material. The water contents obtained from FTIR analyses in forsterite and wadsleyite are 65-124 wt ppm H2O and 114-736 wt ppm H2O, respectively, which are well below water solubility at similar conditions in the presence of free water. Wadsleyite aggregates display weak CPO patterns with [1 0 0] axes concentrated at low angle to the shear direction, [0 1 0] axes perpendicular to the shear plane and nearly random [0 0 1] axes. Only a few dislocations were observed in wadsleyite with TEM. This observation is consistent with the assumption that most dislocations formed during the initial high-stress stages of these stress-relaxation experiments, were consumed in the phase transformation, probably enhancing the transformation rate. CPO patterns vary as a function of the water content: with increasing water content the density of [1 0 0] axes parallel to the shear direction decreases, and the density of [0 0 1] axes increases. Viscoplastic self-consistent modeling of CPO evolution using previously reported glide systems for wadsleyite, i.e., [1 0 0]{0 k 1} and 1/2 (1 1 1){1 0 1}, cannot reproduce the measured CPO, unless the [0 0 1](0 1 0) system, for which dislocations have not been observed by TEM, is also activated. In addition, wadsleyite grain growth suggests the participation of diffusion-assisted processes in deformation. Calculated anisotropies for P and S-waves using measured CPO are always below 1%. This very low anisotropy is due to both the low finite strain achieved in the experiments, which leads to weak wadsleyite CPO, and to the diluting effect of added majorite. The present experiments emphasize the importance of stress, grain size evolution and water content in the forsterite to wadsleyite phase transformation and subsequent deformation in the transition zone.
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-00617430
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617430
DOI : 10.1016/j.pepi.2010.11.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag (Germany) Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
We have investigated the partitioning of Fe3+ between orthopyroxene (Opx) and garnet (Grt) in well-equilibrated mantle xenoliths using Mössbauer spectroscopy. The samples cover a wide range of P–T conditions (2.1–6.6 GPa, 690–1,412 °C) and geothermal gradients, and are thus representative for Earth’s upper mantle in both on-craton and off-craton continental settings. Garnet has Fe3+/Fetot ratios of 0.03–0.13 and Fe2O3 contents of 0.24–1.00 wt%. Orthopyroxene has, on average, lower Fe3+/Fetot ratios (0.01–0.09) and Fe2O3 contents (0.05–0.63 wt%). In low-pressure, high-temperature samples, however, Opx is systematically richer in Fe2O3 than the coexisting Grt. The Fe3+ Opx/Grt partition coefficient (DOpx/GrtFe3+) shows no obvious relationship with temperature, but increases with decreasing pressure and with increasing NaOpx. The observed Opx/Grt Fe3+ systematics imply that the Opx–Grt Fe–Mg exchange thermometer is not robust against redox changes if total Fe is treated as Fe2+. An approximate evaluation of errors on T estimates due to redox effects predicts negligible deviations for strongly reduced conditions (<65 °C), but potentially large deviations (> to ≫100 °C) for strongly oxidized conditions, especially at very high pressure and when both P and T are calculated by iteration.
ISSN: 0010-7999

hal-01121606
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01121606
DOI : 10.1007/s00410-014-1101-8

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer
Résumé : International audience
Thermoelastic behavior of different marble types was analyzed using computational modeling and experimental measurements. Eight marble samples with different composition, grain size, grain boundary geometry, and texture were investigated. Calcitic and dolomitic marbles were considered. The average grain size varies from 75 μm to 1.75 mm; grain boundary geometry differs from nearly equigranular straight grain boundaries to inequigranular-interlobate grain boundaries. Four typical marble texture types were observed by EBSD measurements: weak texture; strong texture; girdle texture and high-temperature texture. These crystallographic orientations were used in conjunction with microstructure-based finite element analysis to compute the thermoelastic responses of marble upon heating. Microstructural response maps highlight regions and conditions in the marble fabric that are susceptible to degradation phenomena. This behavior was compared to the measured thermal expansion behavior, which shows increasing residual strains upon repetitive heating-cooling cycles. The thermal expansion behavior as a function of temperature changes can be classified into four categories: (a) isotropic thermal expansion with small or no residual strain; (b) anisotropic thermal expansion with small or no residual strain; (c) isotropic thermal expansion with a residual strain; and (d) anisotropic thermal expansion with residual strain. Thermal expansion coefficients were calculated for both simulated and experimental data and also modeled from the texture using the MTEX software. Fabric parameters control the amount and directional dependence of the thermal expansion. Marbles with strong texture show higher directional dependence of the thermal expansion coefficients and have smaller microstructural values of the maximum principal stress and strain energy density, the main precursors of microcracking throughout the marble fabric. In contrast, marbles with weak texture show isotropic thermal expansion behavior, have a higher propensity to microcracking, and exhibit higher values of maximum principal stress and strain energy density. Good agreement between the experimental and computational results is observed, demonstrating that microstructure-based finite-element simulations are an excellent tool for elucidating influences of rock fabric on thermoelastic behavior.
ISSN: 1866-6280

hal-00858095
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00858095
DOI : 10.1007/s12665-013-2406-z

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Mineralogical Society of America
Résumé : International audience
Wadsleyites with various iron contents were synthesized at ~12-14 GPa and 1400 °C under oxidizing and hydrous conditions in coexistence with enstatite. The samples were studied using micro-X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and micro-Mössbauer spectroscopy to determine the ferric iron contents in polyphasic samples and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to determine the water concentrations. XANES and Mössbauer analyses show that ferric iron content increases with increasing total iron content, and reaches a maximum of ~30% Fe3+/Fetotal. Two XANES results were cross-checked by Mössbauer analysis and both methods are in reasonable agreement. The use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reveals a new protonation scheme in wadsleyite, with a significant proportion of protons associated with the high-frequency band at 3611 cm−1 and a new band located at 3500 cm−1. The intensity of these two bands is higher for Fe3+-rich wadsleyite. SIMS analyses show that water contents in wadsleyite vary from 4500 to 9400 ppm H2O by weight. Pyroxene water contents range from 790 to 1600 ppm wt H2O. The concentration of water in both phases decreases with increasing iron content. The partition coefficient of water between wadsleyite and pyroxene varies between 5 and 9 and increases with increasing Fe-number of wadsleyite [i.e., XFe/(XFe + XMg) × 100 ratio]. The divalent cation concentrations (i.e., Mg2+ + Fe2+), the Si as well as the H content in wadsleyite decrease with increasing Fe3+ content, indicating an incorporation mechanism via substitution into the metal (Me = Mg2+ and Fe2+) and Si sites with a ratio of 5/3 for (Fe3++H+):Me and of 5/1 for (Fe3++H+):Si, similarly as in the dry system. Thus, coupled substitution of Fe3+ and H+ does not affect the incorporation mechanism of Fe3+, but does affect the location of H+, which is partly incorporated at tetrahedral edges forming [FeSi′-(OH)o*]X neutral defects substituting for Si. In this model 25% of the ferric iron occupies the tetrahedral sites.
ISSN: 0003-004X

hal-00758071
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00758071
DOI : 10.2138/am.2012.3869

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In order to estimate the seismic anisotropy of subducted crust, polycrystalline samples of KA1Si(3)O(8) K-lingunite (25% of the total subducted transformed sediments), have been synthesized and deformed under the temperature and pressure conditions of the subducted slabs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations of the recovered samples reveal that the microstructures are clearly dominated by [001] glide involving screw dislocations. For this reason, only {100} could be identified as glide planes, the question of [001] slip on {110} remains open. Few 1/2 < 111 > dislocations were observed gliding on {110} planes, which implies that 1/2 < 111 > {110} is a harder slip system than those involving [001] slip. The occurrence of sub-grain boundaries suggests that diffusion and climb might be active under these conditions.;To assess the texture of polycrystalline K-lingunite, the crystal preferred orientations (CP05) were calculated using visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) polycrystalline plasticity model in simple shear using the slip systems identified by TEM. Finally, the seismic properties of K-lingunite aggregates were calculated from the CPO and single crystal elasticity tensor. K-lingunite is predicted to have a high seismic anisotropy, which could combine constructively with one of the stishovite (same proportion as K-lingunite at the transition zone depth ranges).
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-00534050
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00534050
DOI : 10.1016/j.pepi.2010.06.013

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
Solidus melting phase relations are reported for carbonated eclogite in the system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 at 12 to 25 GPa. From 12 to 16 GPa, melts are in equilibrium with clinopyroxene, stishovite, garnet, aragonite, and magnesite. At 20 and 25 GPa, melts are in equilibrium with garnet, stishovite, calcium-alumino silicate, calcium perovskite, and magnesite. Melting reactions demonstrate that from 12 to 16 GPa, stishovite is in reaction with the melt. At 20 and 25 GPa, garnet and stishovite together are produced upon melting of model, carbonated eclogite. At 20 and 25 GPa, calcium perovskite is also the phase that contributes the most toward liquid production. Melt compositions at all pressures are carbonatitic, with roughly 37-40 wt% dissolved CO2. From 12 to 16 GPa, the liquids are calciocarbonatites with Ca#(molar) of similar to 69-71; liquid compositions become less calcic with Ca# of similar to 52-55 at 20 and 25 GPa. Given these melting phase relations, suitable subduction zone adiabats do not intersect the solidus of model carbonated eclogite at depths investigated in the present study. Hence, on this basis, it is fair to say that carbonated eclogite possibly avoids melting in subduction zone settings, thereby delivering carbonate to at least moderate depths in the Earth. However, owing to local heating events, small-degree melting of carbonated eclogite is not completely precluded, and the liquids liberated from this melting can be viewed as agents of chemical mass transfer in the deep Earth. At present, however, geochemical consequences of subduction-related melting of carbonated eclogite are difficult to evaluate.
ISSN: 0148-0227

hal-00566560
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00566560
DOI : 10.1029/2009JB006457