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Title: Stability of iron-bearing carbonates in the deep Earth’s interior

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]; ORCiD logo [6];  [7];  [3];  [6];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [8];  [3];  [9];  [6]
  1. European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble (France); Univ. of Bayreuth (Germany). Bavarian Geoinstitute
  2. Univ. of Bayreuth (Germany). Bavarian Geoinstitute; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)
  3. European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble (France)
  4. Univ. of Milan (Italy). Dept. of Earth Sciences
  5. Center for Hydrocarbon Recovery, Moscow (Russia). Skolkovo Inst. of Science and Technology
  6. Univ. of Bayreuth (Germany). Bavarian Geoinstitute
  7. Univ. of Bayreuth (Germany). Bavarian Geoinstitute; National Univ., of Science and Technology, Moscow (Russia). Material Modeling and Development Lab.
  8. Univ. of Cologne (Germany). Inst. of Geology and Mineralogy
  9. Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States). Center for Advanced Radiation Sources

The presence of carbonates in inclusions in diamonds coming from depths exceeding 670 km are obvious evidence that carbonates exist in the Earth’s lower mantle. However, their range of stability, crystal structures and the thermodynamic conditions of the decarbonation processes remain poorly constrained. We investigate the behaviour of pure iron carbonate at pressures over 100 GPa and temperatures over 2,500 K using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectroscopy in laser-heated diamond anvil cells. On heating to temperatures of the Earth’s geotherm at pressures to B 50 GPa FeCO 3 partially dissociates to form various iron oxides. Furthermore, at higher pressures FeCO 3 forms two new structures— tetrairon(III) orthocarbonate Fe$$3+\atop{4}$$C3O12 and diiron(II) diiron(III) tetracarbonate Fe$$2+\atop{2}$$ Fe$$3+\atop{2}$$C4 O13, both phases containing CO4 tetrahedra. Fe4 C4 O13 is stable at conditions along the entire geotherm to depths of at least 2,500 km, thus demonstrating that self-oxidation-reduction reactions can preserve carbonates in the Earth’s lower mantle.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-94ER14466; AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1393163
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 8; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 76 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (16)

High-Pressure Synthesis of a Nitrogen-Rich Inclusion Compound ReN 8 ⋅ x  N 2 with Conjugated Polymeric Nitrogen Chains journal June 2018
High-Pressure Synthesis of a Nitrogen-Rich Inclusion Compound ReN 8x  N 2 with Conjugated Polymeric Nitrogen Chains journal June 2018
Single crystal growth, crystalline structure investigation and high-pressure behavior of impurity-free siderite (FeCO3) journal March 2018
Thermal Conductivity Anomaly in (Fe 0.78 Mg 0.22 )CO 3 Siderite Across Spin Transition of Iron journal February 2019
Stability and nature of the volume collapse of ε-Fe2O3 under extreme conditions journal November 2018
Pressure driven spin transition in siderite and magnesiosiderite single crystals journal November 2017
Pentacoordinated silicon in the high-pressure modification of datolite, CaBSiO 4 (OH) journal January 2018
Natural diamond formation by self-redox of ferromagnesian carbonate journal February 2018
CO2-induced destabilization of pyrite-structured FeO2Hx in the lower mantle journal March 2018
Carbon, carbides, carbonates and carbonatitic melts in the Earth's interior journal January 2019
Polymerized 4-Fold Coordinated Carbonate Melts in the Deep Mantle text January 2019
Pressure driven spin transition in siderite and magnesiosiderite single crystals text January 2017
High-pressure synthesis of a nitrogen-rich inclusion compound $ReN_{8}·xN_{2}$ with conjugated polymeric nitrogen chains text January 2018
Polymerized 4-Fold Coordinated Carbonate Melts in the Deep Mantle journal April 2019
Natural diamond formation by self-redox of ferromagnesian carbonate journal February 2018
Pressure driven spin transition in siderite and magnesiosiderite single crystals text January 2017


Figures / Tables (5)