Effect of phase transitions on compressional-wave velocities in the Earth's mantle

Nature
Li Li, D J Weidner

Abstract

The velocities of seismic waves in the Earth are governed by the response of the constituent mineral assemblage to perturbations in pressure and stress. The effective bulk modulus is significantly lowered if the pressure of the seismic wave drives a volume-reducing phase transformation. A comparison between the amount of time required by phase transitions to reach equilibrium and the sampling period thus becomes crucial in defining the softening and attenuation of compressional waves within such a two-phase zone. These phenomena are difficult to assess experimentally, however, because data at conditions appropriate to the Earth's deep interior are required. Here we present synchrotron-based experimental data that demonstrate softening of the bulk modulus within the two-phase loop of olivine-ringwoodite on a timescale of 100 s. If the amplitude of the pressure perturbation and the grain size are scaled to those expected in the Earth, the compressional-wave velocities within the discontinuities at 410, 520 and, possibly, 660 km are likely to be significantly lower than otherwise expected. The generalization of these observations to aluminium-controlled phase transitions raises the possibility of large velocity perturbations throu...Continue Reading

References

Jul 30, 2005·Science·Christian HolzapfelFalko Langenhorst
Jun 8, 2007·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Li Li, Donald J Weidner

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Citations

May 3, 2013·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Paul RaterronCaleb W Holyoke
Feb 2, 2010·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Donald J WeidnerWilliam B Durham
Nov 3, 2016·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Takashi YoshinoYuji Higo
Dec 14, 2019·Nature Communications·Christopher LangrandSébastien Merkel

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