The seismically fastest chemical heterogeneity in the Earth's deep upper mantle—implications from the single-crystal thermoelastic properties of jadeite

Abstract

Jadeite is a major mineral phase (up to 50 vol%) in the subducted sediments/crust with continental origin, which are one of the major heterogeneities and important enriched geochemical reservoirs (such as EM-1 and EM-2) for incompatible elements in the Earth's interior. Identifying and locating the enriched geochemical heterogeneities requires knowledge of the elastic properties of relevant mineral phases at high pressure-temperature conditions. Unfortunately, the single-crystal elastic properties of jadeite have never been measured at high-pressure conditions, partially due to its low crystal symmetry. In this study, we have experimentally determined the single-crystal elastic moduli of jadeite at high pressures for the first time up to 18 GPa at the ambient temperature condition using Brillouin spectroscopy. Fitting the third-order finite strain equation of state to the velocity-pressure data yields KS0′=3.9(1), G0′=1.09(4) with ρ0=3.302(5) g/cm3, KS0=138(3) GPa, and G0=84(2) GPa. In addition, we have also conducted synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments up to 25 GPa and 700 K. The fitting of a Holland-Powell type thermal-pressure Birch-Murnaghan equation of state yields KT0′=3.8(2) and α0=3.4(5) ×10−5 K−1. Based on the obtained thermoelastic parameters of jadeite, the density and seismic velocities of continent-derived sediments/crust are modeled at the depth range from 200 to 500 km. The seismic velocities of the subducted continental sediments/crust become extremely fast at depths greater than ∼300 km, up to 11.8% and 14.7% faster than the Vp and Vs of the ambient mantle, and 5.6% and 7.3% faster than the Vp and Vs of the subducted oceanic crust. The existence of even a small amount of the subducted continental sediments/crust can result in strong seismic anomalies in the Earth's interior.