Mineralogy of the deep lower mantle in the presence of H2O

Understanding the mineralogy of the Earth''s interior is a prerequisite for unravelling the evolution and dynamics of our planet. Here, we conducted high pressure-temperature experiments mimicking the conditions of the deep lower mantle (DLM, 1800–2890 km in depth) and observed surprising mineralogical transformations in the presence of water. Ferropericlase, (Mg, Fe)O, which is the most abundant oxide mineral in Earth, reacts with H₂O to form a previously unknown (Mg, Fe)O₂H_x (x ≤ 1) phase. The (Mg, Fe)O₂H_x has a pyrite structure and it coexists with the dominant silicate phases, bridgmanite and post-perovskite. Depending on Mg content and geotherm temperatures, the transformation may occur at 1800 km for (Mg_0.6Fe_0.4)O or beyond 2300 km for (Mg_0.7Fe_0.3)O. The (Mg, Fe)O₂H_x is an oxygen excess phase that stores an excessive amount of oxygen beyond the charge balance of maximum cation valences (Mg²⁺, Fe³⁺ and H⁺). This important phase has a number of far-reaching implications including extreme redox inhomogeneity, deep-oxygen reservoirs in the DLM and an internal source for modulating oxygen in the atmosphere.     

Curriculum on the move: the role of English in a Year 7 Cultural Studies programme

This paper describes a curriculum experiment to integrate the English and humanities teaching to a year 7 (age 11) cohort through a pedagogy based on Dorothy Heathcote's work on drama in education. An integrated Cultural Studies programme was devised in order to help students engage with meaningful issues in what Heathcote (1980) terms ‘real and felt’ contexts. As part of the national Creative Partnerships programme, Debbie Kidd, a drama specialist from an Arts organisation, worked with teachers to develop curriculum and pedagogy. The paper describes the project from the perspective of the two outsiders closely involved with the work. Debbie Kidd sets the context and discusses some of the outcomes to date. In an Afterword, Elaine Millard discusses some of the barriers to curriculum integration and argues for greater flexibility in English teaching and it s modes of assessment to make room for more creative engagements.     

Electrical conductivity of melts: implications for conductivity anomalies in the Earth's mantle

Magmatic liquids, including silicate and carbonate melts, are principal agents of mass and heat transfer in the Earth and terrestrial planets, and they play a crucial role in various geodynamic processes and in Earth''s evolution. Electrical conductivity data of these melts elucidate the cause of electrical anomalies in Earth''s interior and shed light on the melt structure. With the improvement in high-pressure experimental techniques and theoretical simulations, major progress has been made on this front in the past several decades. This review aims to summarize recent advances in experimental and theoretical studies on the electrical conductivity of silicate and carbonate melts of different compositions and volatile contents under high temperature and pressure. The electrical conductivity of silicate melts depends strongly on temperature, pressure, water content and the ratio of non-bridging oxygens to tetrahedral cations (NBO/T). By contrast, the electrical conductivity of carbonate melts exhibits a weak dependence on temperature and pressure due to their fully depolymerized structure. The electrical conductivity of carbonate melts is higher than that of silicate melts by at least two orders of magnitude. Water can increase electrical conductivity significantly and reduce the activation energy of silicate melts. Conversely, this effect is weak for carbonate melts. In addition, the replacement of alkali-earth elements (Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺) with alkali elements causes a significant decrease in the electrical conductivity of carbonate melts. A distinct compensation trend is revealed for the electrical conductivity of silicate and carbonate melts under anhydrous and hydrous conditions. Several important applications of laboratory-based melt conductivity are introduced in order to understand the origin of high-conductivity anomalies in the Earth''s mantle. Perspectives for future studies are also provided.     

中国东部及西秦岭地区新生代岩石圈地幔中的相转变带及其温压条件

五相（橄榄石＋斜方辉石＋单斜辉石＋石榴石＋尖晶石）共存的地幔橄榄岩捕虏体是来自岩石圈地幔相转变带的直接样品.中国东部及西秦岭地区晚第三至第四纪碱性火山岩携带的少量五相共存的地幔橄榄岩捕虏体为探讨这些地区新生代岩石圈地幔中相转变带提供了宝贵的样品.本文根据地幔橄榄岩捕虏体中石榴石和尖晶石的产出状况,将这些橄榄岩捕虏体分为三类：第一类橄榄岩中尖晶石为粒状残核,尖晶石外缘被石榴石的反应边包围.这种橄榄岩捕虏体代表尖晶石-石榴石相转变带的上限,故称为尖晶石带橄榄岩;第二类橄榄岩中尖晶石和石榴石以单颗粒零散分布为特征,二者共存但未见明显的相转变关系.这类橄榄岩多位于相转变带中部,拟称为尖晶石-石榴石过渡带橄榄岩;第三类橄榄岩中以石榴石为主,尖晶石和辉石等微晶构成石榴石反应边.这类橄榄岩代表尖晶石-石榴石相转变带的下限,故称为石榴石带橄榄岩.因此,根据不同类型橄榄岩捕虏体中矿物的组成,结合温度压力估算即可确定岩石圈地幔中相转变带的深度和厚度.本文通过对中国东部及西秦岭地区晚第三至第四纪碱性火山岩携带的尖晶石-石榴石二辉橄榄岩捕虏体的温度压力估算来进一步厘定中国东部新生代岩石圈地幔中的相转变带深度和厚度.     

东亚及西太平洋地壳上地幔P波三维速度结构

利用ISC报告中170550条P波到时资料(地震数为12500,台站数为928个,且地震和台站都分布在研究区内),对东亚及西太平洋边缘海(60°E～150°E,10°S～60°N)的深至300km的地壳上地幔三维速度结构进行了研究,分辨率达2°×2°.初步结果表明:(1)在研究区域内东西两部分的岩石圈与上地幔低速带的结构有非常明显的差异.横向上大体以108°E为界,纵向上以90km深度为界,东部与西部P波速度结构差异较大.西部是岩石圈汇聚增厚区,东部是岩石圈拉张减薄区.西部上地幔低速带不发育,东部低速带比西部厚.(2)青藏高原地壳岩石圈巨厚,上地幔低速带不明显.印度次大陆岩石圈板片以低角度下插到青藏高原之下.(3)日本海和菲律宾海地壳之下有高速体,可能是太平洋板块向东俯冲产生的.     

新疆阿尔泰东部新生代玄武岩的地球化学特征与地质意义

新疆阿尔泰东部哈拉乔拉出露有新生代玄武岩，K—Ar法测得玄武岩的年龄在10～20Ma，地球化学分析结果表明哈拉乔拉玄武岩具有高TiO2含量、高钾富碱的特点，属于典型的橄榄玄粗岩系列；强烈富集不相容元素和轻稀土元素，显示出源区富集的特点。（^87Sr/^86Sr）．为0．704432～0．704538，（^143Nd／^144Nd）i为0．512641～0．512779，εNd（t）为0．29～1．03，其Sr-Nd同住素特征和地球化学特征都与洋岛玄武岩（OIB）相似。La／Nb（0．765～0．823）、Nb／U（35．02～52．01）等不相容元素的比值指示了源区中可能存在少量循环地壳物质。综合对比南天山托云等地区新生代玄武岩，中亚地区的地球化学性质相似的新生代火山岩分布零星，空间上与大型断裂相对应，不应是前人地幔柱成因的观点。本文结合中亚地区古生代地壳的演化特点，提出中亚地区的新生代类OIB型玄武岩来源于中亚地区已被改造的富集地幔。     

北淮阳古碑花岗闪长岩侵位时代及地球化学特征：对大别山中生代构造体制转换的启示

SHRIMP锆石U-Pb定年表明大别山北淮阳带古碑花岗闪长岩形成于125±3Ma,而不是以前所认为的属晚侏罗世岩体.古碑花岗闪长岩的SiO2为61%～63%,K2O为3%～3.7t%,Al2O3＞15%,Mg#[100×Mg^2＋/（Mg^2＋ ＋FeT）]为45～49,具有准铝质（A/CNK=0.84～0.88）和高钾钙碱性特征.岩石富集大离子亲石元素（Sr 500×10^-6～650×10^-6,Ba 1640×10^-6～2053×10^-6）和轻稀土元素[（La/Yb）N比值为13～20],亏损高场强元素（Nb、Ta、Ti）,具有富集且均一的锶和钕同位素组成[（87Sr/86Sr）i=0.709240～0.709315,εNd（t）=-17.96～-18.05].这些地球化学特征及同位素组成与早白垩世毛坦厂组幔源火山岩及镁铁-超镁铁侵入岩很相似,表明古碑花岗闪长岩起源于富集地幔的部分熔融.该岩体的侵位可能代表了大别山强烈伸展活动的开始.大别山地区晚中生代的岩浆活动可能是古太平洋板块俯冲引起的中国东部早白垩世岩浆活动的一部分,而与三叠纪造山旋回无关.     

The role of water in Earth's mantle

Geophysical observations suggest that the transition zone is wet locally. Continental and oceanic sediment components together with the basaltic and peridotitic components might be transported and accumulated in the transition zone. Low-velocity anomalies at the upper mantle–transition zone boundary might be caused by the existence of dense hydrous magmas. Water can be carried farther into the lower mantle by the slabs. The anomalous Q and shear wave regions locating at the uppermost part of the lower mantle could be caused by the existence of fluid or wet magmas in this region because of the water-solubility contrast between the minerals in the transition zone and those in the lower mantle. δ-H solid solution AlO₂H–MgSiO₄H₂ carries water into the lower mantle. Hydrogen-bond symmetrization exists in high-pressure hydrous phases and thus they are stable at the high pressures of the lower mantle. Thus, the δ-H solid solution in subducting slabs carries water farther into the bottom of the lower mantle. Pyrite FeO₂H_x is formed due to a reaction between the core and hydrated slabs. This phase could be a candidate for the anomalous regions at the core–mantle boundary.     

Moho面和上地幔间断面大尺度地形起伏的低阶球谐分析

对全球地形高程和Moho面深度(CRUST20模型)及上地幔各间断面深度数据进行了球谐分析.在此基础上,通过叠加前4阶模式得到了各类数据的空间大尺度分布信息,通过叠加振幅平方值最大的4项得到了各类数据的空间主能量分布.结果表明,Moho面和‘410’间断面的地形存在半球尺度的大尺度非对称性,而且南北半球非对称性比东西半球的更显著;而‘520’和‘660’间断面的地形起伏已没有半球尺度那么大的非对称性,而是尺度略小些的不对称性.     

Moho面和上地幔间断面大尺度地形起伏的低阶球谐分析

对全球地形高程和Moho面深度 (CRUST2 0模型 )及上地幔各间断面深度数据进行了球谐分析 .在此基础上 ,通过叠加前 4阶模式得到了各类数据的空间大尺度分布信息 ,通过叠加振幅平方值最大的 4项得到了各类数据的空间主能量分布 .结果表明 ,Moho面和‘41 0’间断面的地形存在半球尺度的大尺度非对称性 ,而且南北半球非对称性比东西半球的更显著 ;而‘5 2 0’和‘660’间断面的地形起伏已没有半球尺度那么大的非对称性 ,而是尺度略小些的不对称性 .