Quantitative analysis of hydrogen sites and occupancy in deep mantle hydrous wadsleyite using single crystal neutron diffraction

Evidence from seismological and mineralogical studies increasingly indicates that water from the oceans has been transported to the deep earth to form water-bearing dense mantle minerals. Wadsleyite [(Mg, Fe²⁺)₂SiO₄] has been identified as one of the most important host minerals incorporating this type of water, which is capable of storing the entire mass of the oceans as a hidden reservoir. To understand the effects of such water on the physical properties and chemical evolution of Earth's interior, it is essential to determine where in the crystal structure the hydration occurs and which chemical bonds are altered and weakened after hydration. Here, we conduct a neutron time-of-flight single-crystal Laue diffraction study on hydrous wadsleyite. Single crystals were grown under pressure to a size suitable for the experiment and with physical qualities representative of wet, deep mantle conditions. The results of this neutron single crystal diffraction study unambiguously demonstrate the method of hydrogen incorporation into the wadsleyite, which is qualitatively different from that of its denser polymorph, ringwoodite, in the wet mantle. The difference is a vital clue towards understanding why these dense mantle minerals show distinctly different softening behaviours after hydration.

Elastic relaxations associated with the Pm3m-R3c transition in LaAlO(3): I. Single crystal elastic moduli at room temperature

Values for all six independent components of the 3m elastic modulus tensor of LaAlO(3) perovskite are reported. These were determined by means of Brillouin scattering measurements of acoustic velocities in single crystal plates cut parallel to (110) and (100), as defined with respect to the cubic parent structure, and by pure-mode longitudinal and transverse sound velocity measurements along [100], [110] and [111] directions using GHz pulse-echo ultrasonics. The crystals contained intimate intergrowths of twins arising from the Pm3m <--> R3c transition at higher temperature but, in combination with a careful analysis of twin orientation relationships, the two sets of data have allowed a unique solution to be obtained for individual twin components. The new data set represents an important contribution to the characterization of LaAlO(3) single crystals which are widely used as the substrate for a plethora of different thin films with technological applications.

Mineral phases of the Earth´s mantle

Our knowledge of the structure of the Earth´s interior has been obtained by analysing seismic waves that travel in the Earth, and the reference Earth global models used by geophysicists are essentially seismological. Depth profiles of the seismic waves velocities reveal that the deep Earth is divided in several shells, separated by velocity and density discontinuities. The main discontinuity located at a depth of 2900 km corresponds to the transition between the mantle and the core. The Earth´s mantle can be further divided into the upper mantle and the lower mantle, with a transition zone characterised by two prominent increases in velocities observed at 410- and 660-km depths. This article will be focused on the mineral phases of the Earth´s mantle. The interpretation of seismological models in terms of chemical composition and temperature relies on the knowledge of the nature, structure and elastic properties of the candidate materials. We will describe to what extent recent advances in experimental mineral physics and X-ray diffraction have yielded essential knowledge on the structure and high-pressure high-temperature behaviour of pertinent materials, and major improvements in our understanding of the chemical and mineralogical composition of the Earth´s mantle.

Spectroscopic evidence of polymorphism in vitreous B2O3

Brillouin and Raman spectroscopy were performed on B2O3 glass compressed to 57 GPa at 273 K. Upon compression the sound velocities increase smoothly and the boroxol ring Raman mode vanishes by 11 GPa. Upon decompression the sound velocities follow a different path and at 3 GPa a discontinuity of 3 km/s in V(p) and 2 km/s in V(s) returns the velocities to the values seen on compression. After the transition, the boroxol ring Raman mode reappears. A second pressure cycle produces the same behavior, suggesting the 3 GPa transition occurs between vitreous polymorphs with different boron coordination.