Ultrahigh‐Pressure Mineralogy: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth's Deep Interior (Reviews in Mineralogy Volume 37)

Abstract

How high is “ultrahigh” and how deep is “deep”? In experimental Earth science, these terms have changed meaning over time, and it is now possible to access the entire pressure range from the surface down to the Earth's core.Our knowledge of the Earth's interior is shaped by constraints from cosmochemistry petrology of mantle rocks and xenoliths, and geophysical observations. The goal of the ultrahigh pressure mineralogist is to combine these constraints with analyses of the properties of materials at high pressures and temperatures to develop meaningful chemical, mineralogical, and thermal models of the planet's interior. Ultrahigh‐Pressure Mineralogy: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth's Deep Interior describes recent advances in the ultrahigh pressure study of Earth materials, places the current understanding of physical properties firmly into the context of geophysical and seismological observations, and points to directions for new breakthroughs in our understanding of the Earth.