Experimental study on electrical conductivity of dunite at high temperature and pressure

Abstract

The electrical conductivities of the dunite from the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau were measured with the impedance spectra method at 1.0–4.0 GPa and 6431093 K. The experimental results indicated that activation enthalpies of the dunite are smaller than 0.9 eV, the conduction mechanism in dunite may be attributed to the mixed electrical conduction involving grain interiors and boundaries. On the basis of the results of this experiment, we can deduce that there exists cold mantle in the area of Gaize-Lugu in the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau by reverse methods from the magnetotelluric sounding data (conductivity-depths profile) available for western Tibet. The result provides the present cold mantle viewpoint with strong proof on the basis of high temperature and pressure experiments.