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Title: Carbonate stability in the reduced lower mantle

Journal Article · · Earth and Planetary Science Letters
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [3];  [3]
  1. Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (Switzlerland); Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
  2. Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (Switzlerland); Sorbonne Paris Cite (France)
  3. Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (Switzlerland)
  4. Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States). Center for Advanced Radiation Sources (CARS)

Carbonate minerals are important hosts of carbon in the crust and mantle with a key role in the transport and storage of carbon in Earth’s deep interior over the history of the planet. Whether subducted carbonates efficiently melt and break down due to interactions with reduced phases or are preserved to great depths and ultimately reach the core-mantle boundary remains controversial. In this study, experiments in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) on layered samples of dolomite (Mg,Ca)CO3 and iron at pressure and temperature conditions reaching those of the deep lower mantle show that carbon-iron redox interactions destabilize the MgCO3 component, producing a mixture of diamond, Fe7C3, and (Mg,Fe)O. However, CaCO3 is preserved, supporting its relative stability in carbonate-rich lithologies under reducing lower mantle conditions. These results constrain the thermodynamic stability of redox-driven breakdown of carbonates and demonstrate progress towards multiphase mantle petrology in the LHDAC at conditions of the lowermost mantle.

Research Organization:
GeoSoilEnviroCARS, University of Chicago
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-94ER14466
OSTI ID:
1426861
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1701913
Journal Information:
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 489, Issue C; ISSN 0012-821X
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 39 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (3)

In-situ High-Temperature XRD and FTIR for Calcite, Dolomite and Magnesite: Anharmonic Contribution to the Thermodynamic Properties journal October 2019
Kinetic Control on the Depth Distribution of Superdeep Diamonds journal February 2019
Marine Carbonates in the Mantle Source of Oceanic Basalts: Pb Isotopic Constraints journal October 2018

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