Featured
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| Open AccessQuantum critical phase of FeO spans conditions of Earth’s lower mantle
Large-scale eDMFT computation reveals that FeO undergoes a gradual orbitally selective insulator-metal transition across the extreme conditions of Earth’s interior, with implications for compositions and conductivity of the core-mantle boundary region.
- Wai-Ga D. Ho
- , Peng Zhang
- & Vasilije V. Dobrosavljevic
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Article
| Open AccessFull-waveform tomography reveals iron spin crossover in Earth’s lower mantle
This study reveals that in the Earth’s mid-mantle, ferropericlase (the second most abundant mineral) undergoes a major electronic reconfiguration. At the base of the mantle, an enrichment in silica may represent a crystallised ancient magma ocean.
- Laura Cobden
- , Jingyi Zhuang
- & Jeroen Tromp
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Article
| Open AccessStructure and elasticity of CaC2O5 suggests carbonate contribution to the seismic anomalies of Earth’s mantle
Based on first-principle simulations of the properties of CaC2O5 under high pressure, the authors suggest that carbonates may contribute to the origins of the seismic velocity anomalies in Earth’s mantle and transport within the deep carbon cycle.
- Hanyu Wang
- , Lei Liu
- & Shide Mao
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Article
| Open AccessMelting and defect transitions in FeO up to pressures of Earth’s core-mantle boundary
Multi-technique synchrotron measurements support the viability of solid FeO-rich structures at Earth’s mantle base. An order-disorder transition identified in the iron defect structure of FeO may lead to unique physical properties in the region.
- Vasilije V. Dobrosavljevic
- , Dongzhou Zhang
- & Jennifer M. Jackson
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Article
| Open AccessGarnet microstructures suggest ultra-fast decompression of ultrahigh-pressure rocks
Radial cracks observed in minerals formed at ultrahigh pressure and now found at the Earth’s surface are explained by ultrafast decompression, which challenges the idea of fast and significant displacement of rocks during their exhumation.
- Cindy Luisier
- , Lucie Tajčmanová
- & Thibault Duretz
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Article
| Open AccessElectron transfer rules of minerals under pressure informed by machine learning
Li and coworkers quantitatively evaluate the tendency and direction of electron transfer in the deep Earth using a machine learning method to predict the electronegativity of atoms and work function of minerals under pressure.
- Yanzhang Li
- , Hongyu Wang
- & Anhuai Lu
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Article
| Open AccessSuperionic effect and anisotropic texture in Earth’s inner core driven by geomagnetic field
Earth’s inner core is heterogeneous and anisotropic. A new study based on computational simulation reveals the presence of ionic hydrogen flux in iron crystals, driven by the dipole geomagnetic field, which promotes the formation of observed inner core structure.
- Shichuan Sun
- , Yu He
- & Ho-kwang Mao
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Article
| Open AccessEvidence for a rosiaite-structured high-pressure silica phase and its relation to lamellar amorphization in quartz
Rapid compression experiments on quartz provide evidence for a metastable high-pressure phase with rosiaite structure. The phase forms as lamellae and breaks down to glass during decompression. These discoveries may solve the enigma of lamellar amorphization of quartz during impact events.
- Christoph Otzen
- , Hanns-Peter Liermann
- & Falko Langenhorst
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Article
| Open AccessThe rocky road to organics needs drying
How complex organics form in a prebiotic world remains a missing key to establish where life emerged. The authors present a road to abiotic organic synthesis and diversification in hydrothermal contexts involving magmatism and rock hydration.
- Muriel Andreani
- , Gilles Montagnac
- & Bénédicte Ménez
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Article
| Open AccessMagma recharge and mush rejuvenation drive paroxysmal activity at Stromboli volcano
Petrological studies along with volcano monitoring data relate the unusual 2019 explosive activity at Stromboli volcano (Italy) to deep magma recharges up to a few days prior the eruption and a direct link between deep and shallow magma reservoirs.
- Chiara Maria Petrone
- , Silvio Mollo
- & Mark Reagan
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Article
| Open AccessInsights into magma ocean dynamics from the transport properties of basaltic melt
The viscosity of magma plays a crucial role in the dynamics of planet Earth. In this study, the authors show how transport properties of basaltic melt can give us insights into magma ocean dynamics.
- Suraj K. Bajgain
- , Aaron Wolfgang Ashley
- & Bijaya B. Karki
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Article
| Open AccessSubduction-related oxidation of the sublithospheric mantle evidenced by ferropericlase and magnesiowüstite diamond inclusions
This article reports finding of a highly oxidised mineral in diamond inclusion derived from mantle transition zone or lower mantle, very reduced areas on our planet. Such oxidised material is likely linked to subduction of carbonates into this region.
- Ekaterina S. Kiseeva
- , Nester Korolev
- & Leonid Dubrovinsky
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Article
| Open AccessSub-microscopic magnetite and metallic iron particles formed by eutectic reaction in Chang’E-5 lunar soil
Magnetite is rarely present on the Moon. Here the authors report the magnetite formed by eutectic reaction during the impact process in Chang’E-5 lunar soil, and the potential contribution of this magnetite formation to magnetic anomalies on the Moon.
- Zhuang Guo
- , Chen Li
- & Ziyuan Ouyang
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Article
| Open AccessCrystal growth in confinement
How confinement affects the growth of crystals is poorly understood. Experiments in which NaClO3 and CaCO3 crystals are grown close to a glass substrate now show that new molecular layers can form via the transport of mass through the liquid film at the crystal-substrate interface.
- Felix Kohler
- , Olivier Pierre-Louis
- & Dag Kristian Dysthe
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Article
| Open AccessIn situ X-ray and acoustic observations of deep seismic faulting upon phase transitions in olivine
This paper shows that formation of thin weak layers filled with nanocrystalline olivine/wadsleyite, upon the pressure-induced phase transition of olivine, is the major cause of deep-focus earthquakes on the metastable olivine wedge in deep slabs.
- Tomohiro Ohuchi
- , Yuji Higo
- & Tetsuo Irifune
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Article
| Open AccessChang’E-5 samples reveal high water content in lunar minerals
Lunar soils returned by China’s Chang’E−5 (CE5) mission record the unique information of solar wind essential to understanding the preservation and distribution of lunar surficial water. Here the authors report abundant water formed by solar wind implantation in minerals of CE5 lunar soils; the water content in CE5 lunar soils is estimated to be ~ 170 ppm.
- Chuanjiao Zhou
- , Hong Tang
- & Yuanyun Wen
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Article
| Open AccessTectonically-driven oxidant production in the hot biosphere
Researchers at Newcastle University have discovered a mechanism by which earthquakes create bursts of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen in hot underground fractures. These may have played a vital role in the early evolution and origin of life on Earth.
- Jordan Stone
- , John O. Edgar
- & Jon Telling
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Comment
| Open AccessSalty ice and the dilemma of ocean exoplanet habitability
Habitability of exoplanet’s deepest oceans could be limited by the presence of high-pressure ices at their base. New work demonstrates that efficient chemical transport within deep planetary ice mantles is possible through significant salt incorporation within the high-pressure ice.
- Baptiste Journaux
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Article
| Open AccessStability of high-temperature salty ice suggests electrolyte permeability in water-rich exoplanet icy mantles
Hot cubic ice is shown to retain dissolved salt in its lattice, suggesting the mantle of water-rich exoplanets is more permeable to electrolytes than assumed, which has implications on its properties and on the element cycles inside such planets.
- Jean-Alexis Hernandez
- , Razvan Caracas
- & Stéphane Labrosse
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Article
| Open AccessDuctile deformation during carbonation of serpentinized peridotite
Mantle rocks can efficiently bind carbon by reaction with CO2 if fluid pathways remain open. This study of samples from Oman demonstrates that coupling of synchronous reaction and deformation facilitates fluid flow and massive carbon sequestration.
- Manuel D. Menzel
- , Janos L. Urai
- & Peter B. Kelemen
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Article
| Open AccessStructure and density of silicon carbide to 1.5 TPa and implications for extrasolar planets
Using ramp compression, silicon carbide was compressed to pressures of 1.5 terapascals, more than seven times higher than previous work. The results show that large carbon-rich exoplanets would be ~10% less dense than corresponding rocky planets.
- D. Kim
- , R. F. Smith
- & T. S. Duffy
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Article
| Open AccessSuper-hydration and reduction of manganese oxide minerals at shallow terrestrial depths
The enigmatic relationship of birnessite and buserite, the two most representative phases in submarine nodules, has been established to reveal that buserite is a super-hydrated form of birnessite, forming at shallow terrestrial depth in the presence of water
- Seohee Yun
- , Huijeong Hwang
- & Yongjae Lee
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Article
| Open AccessEvidence for oxygen-conserving diamond formation in redox-buffered subducted oceanic crust sampled as eclogite
Billions of years ago, pieces of subducted oceanic crust were trapped as eclogites in the mantle keels beneath continents. Comparing eclogitic minerals protected inside and evolving outside of ancient diamonds reveals no change in redox state.
- Sonja Aulbach
- & Thomas Stachel
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Article
| Open AccessConstraining composition and temperature variations in the mantle transition zone
A new study by @JinZhang_MP models the global distribution of wadsleyite proportion, temperature and water content in the upper mantle transition zone.
- Wen-Yi Zhou
- , Ming Hao
- & Brandon Schmandt
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Article
| Open AccessBrine residues and organics in the Urvara basin on Ceres
The authors report the discovery of salts and fresh organic-rich exposures in the Urvara basin, possibly linked to a late resurfacing of the crater floor. These results are consistent with a deep-seated brine/salt reservoir in the crust of Ceres.
- A. Nathues
- , M. Hoffmann
- & J. H. Pasckert
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Article
| Open AccessEvidence for the oxidation of Earth’s crust from the evolution of manganese minerals
The co-evolution of oxygenation of the Earth’s atmosphere and lithosphere is still poorly constrained. However, the oxidation state of manganese minerals reveals that the redox state of Earth’s crust responds to changes in atmospheric oxygen following a ~66 million-year time lag.
- Daniel R. Hummer
- , Joshua J. Golden
- & Robert M. Hazen
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Article
| Open AccessDecreasing extents of Archean serpentinization contributed to the rise of an oxidized atmosphere
Throughout the Archean, H2 generation via low-temperature ultramafic serpentinization likely helped prevent atmospheric O2 accumulation and continued until the abundance of ultramafic rocks diminished setting the stage for the Great Oxidation Event.
- James Andrew M. Leong
- , Tucker Ely
- & Everett L. Shock
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Article
| Open AccessChemical heterogeneities reveal early rapid cooling of Apollo Troctolite 76535
Chemical heterogeneities in Apollo sample 76535 constrain the magmatic cooling history of the lunar Mg-suite to <~ 20 My. Such rapid cooling is inconsistent with a large intrusive magma body and suggests formation by reactive melt infiltration.
- William S. Nelson
- , Julia E. Hammer
- & G. Jeffrey Taylor
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Article
| Open AccessIn-situ abiogenic methane synthesis from diamond and graphite under geologically relevant conditions
Using diamond anvil cell and high temperature experiments, this work proves that the interaction between deep hydrogen rich fluids and reduced carbon minerals may be an efficient mechanism for producing abiotic hydrocarbons at the upper mantle’s pressures and temperatures.
- Miriam Peña-Alvarez
- , Alberto Vitale Brovarone
- & Eugene Gregoryanz
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Perspective
| Open AccessThe search for lunar mantle rocks exposed on the surface of the Moon
Vast, ancient impact basins scattered mantle materials across the lunar surface. We review lunar evolution models to identify candidate mantle lithologies, then assess orbital observations to evalutae the current distribution of these materials and implications for fundamental planetary processes.
- Daniel P. Moriarty III
- , Nick Dygert
- & Noah E. Petro
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Article
| Open AccessKinetically driven successive sodic and potassic alteration of feldspar
This paper reveals that potassic alteration can be triggered by Na-rich fluids, indicating that pervasive sequential sodic and potassic alterations associated with mineralization in some of the world’s largest ore deposits may not necessarily reflect externally-driven changes in fluid alkali contents.
- Gan Duan
- , Rahul Ram
- & Joël Brugger
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Article
| Open AccessUltrafast olivine-ringwoodite transformation during shock compression
Meteorites from space often include denser polymorphs of their minerals, providing records of past hypervelocity collisions. An olivine mineral crystal was shock-compressed by a high-power laser, and its transformation into denser ringwoodite was time-resolved using an X-ray free electron laser.
- Takuo Okuchi
- , Yusuke Seto
- & Norimasa Ozaki
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Article
| Open AccessDeep carbon cycle constrained by carbonate solubility
Carbonate mineral aqueous solubility decreases as carbonates become more Mg-rich during subduction. Coupled with regional variations in amounts of carbon and water subducted, this explains discrepancies in estimates of carbon recycling, suggesting that only around a third returns to the surface.
- Stefan Farsang
- , Marion Louvel
- & Simon A. T. Redfern
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Article
| Open AccessOut-of-sequence skeletal growth causing oscillatory zoning in arc olivines
Arc olivines are commonly explained through a paradigm of core-to-rim sequential growth and oscillatory zoning is interpreted to represent magma mixing. Here the authors show Fo–Ni–P oscillatory zoned olivines can grow as out-of-sequence crystal frames and complex zoning can occur in closed systems.
- Pablo Salas
- , Philipp Ruprecht
- & Osvaldo Rabbia
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Article
| Open AccessSegregated oceanic crust trapped at the bottom mantle transition zone revealed from ambient noise interferometry
By combining ambient noise interferometry with mineral physics modeling, this work sheds new light on mantle transition zone physics. Their findings provide new evidence of segregated oceanic crust subducted and trapped within the mantle transition zone, implying complex mantle circulation modes.
- Jikun Feng
- , Huajian Yao
- & Zhu Mao
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Article
| Open AccessFormation of large low shear velocity provinces through the decomposition of oxidized mantle
Dense Fe3+-rich bridgmanite can explain the seismic features of Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces, as it can form large-scale thermochemical piles in the deep mantle that remain stable throughout Earth’s history.
- Wenzhong Wang
- , Jiachao Liu
- & Zhongqing Wu
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Article
| Open AccessReversal of carbonate-silicate cation exchange in cold slabs in Earth’s lower mantle
CaCO3 is more stable than MgCO3 under conditions of Earth’s lowermost mantle, with implications for deep mantle chemistry.
- Mingda Lv
- , Susannah M. Dorfman
- & Vitali B. Prakapenka
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Article
| Open AccessThe stability of subducted glaucophane with the Earth’s secular cooling
Along the cold subduction geotherm, glaucophane remains stable down to pressure and temperature (P–T) conditions of ca. 240 km depth, whereas under the warm subduction geotherm, it dehydrates and breaks down into pyroxenes and silica between ca. 50 and 100 km depths.
- Yoonah Bang
- , Huijeong Hwang
- & Yongjae Lee
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Article
| Open AccessTrace element catalyses mineral replacement reactions and facilitates ore formation
Trace amounts of Cerium can act as a catalyst by enhancing fluid-mediated magnetite alteration, which preconditions ore systems and could contribute to the large size and metal content of world-class ore deposits.
- Yanlu Xing
- , Joël Brugger
- & Xiya Fang
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Article
| Open AccessA role for subducted albite in the water cycle and alkalinity of subduction fluids
Albite is one of the major constituents in the Earth’s crust. Here, the authors report that under hydrous cold subduction conditions, albite undergoes breakdown into hydrated smectite and other phases, which release alkaline fluids into the mantle wedge.
- Gil Chan Hwang
- , Huijeong Hwang
- & Yongjae Lee
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Article
| Open AccessMelting and density of MgSiO3 determined by shock compression of bridgmanite to 1254GPa
The authors here report high melting temperatures of MgSiO3 at 500 GPa by direct shockwave loading of pre-synthesized dense bridgemanite. This is essential data to understand the thermal evolution of the interiors of terrestrial (exo-)planets.
- Yingwei Fei
- , Christopher T. Seagle
- & Michael D. Furnish
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Article
| Open AccessJarosite formation in deep Antarctic ice provides a window into acidic, water-limited weathering on Mars
The authors report in-situ formation of jarosite witin the Talos Dome ice core (East Antarctica) and show that this ferric-potassium sulfate mineral is present in ice deeper than 1000 meters and progressively increases with depth. This has implications for the presence and formation mechanisms of jarosite observed on Mars.
- Giovanni Baccolo
- , Barbara Delmonte
- & Massimo Frezzotti
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Article
| Open AccessDwarf planet (1) Ceres surface bluing due to high porosity resulting from sublimation
The origin of blue ejecta around the fresh craters of dwarf planet Ceres is unknown. Here, the authors show that the blue color results from high porosity of the surface, induced by sublimation of ice-phyllosilicate mixture produced by impacts.
- Stefan E. Schröder
- , Olivier Poch
- & Bernard Schmitt
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Article
| Open AccessLithium systematics in global arc magmas and the importance of crustal thickening for lithium enrichment
The exact origin of lithium enrichment in arc magmatic systems is unclear. Here the authors conduct a global systematics of lithium, explaining why volcanic arcs built on thickened crust are most lithium-enriched, which sheds light on the future exploration of lithium resources.
- Chen Chen
- , Cin-Ty A. Lee
- & Weidong Sun
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Article
| Open AccessAdsorption of rare earth elements in regolith-hosted clay deposits
Global resources of heavy Rare Earth Elements (REE) are dominantly sourced from Chinese regolith-hosted ion-adsorption deposits, yet the adsorption mechanisms remain unclear. Here, the authors find that heavy REE are adsorbed as easily leachable 8-coordinated outer-sphere hydrated complexes, dominantly onto kaolinite, in clays from both China and Madagascar.
- Anouk M. Borst
- , Martin P. Smith
- & Kalotina Geraki
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Article
| Open AccessMolecular hydrogen in minerals as a clue to interpret ∂D variations in the mantle
Trace amounts of water dissolved in minerals play an important role in global tectonics through changing the density, viscosity and melting behaviour of the Earth’s mantle. Here, the authors identify the presence of molecular hydrogen in nominally anhydrous ecolgite minerals from the Kaapvaal and Siberian cratons, indicating that the storage capacity of H in the mantle may have been underestimated.
- B. N. Moine
- , N. Bolfan-Casanova
- & J. Y. Cottin
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Article
| Open AccessFossilized solidification fronts in the Bushveld Complex argue for liquid-dominated magmatic systems
Magma storage zones are debated to either be crystal-dominated mush zones or large liquid-dominated magma chambers. Here, the authors discover fossilized solidification fronts of magnetitite in the Bushveld pluton, which indicate nucleation and crystal growth occurred at the magma chamber floor, precluding the existence of a thick crystal mush zone in this region.
- Willem Kruger
- & Rais Latypov
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Article
| Open AccessPolymorphism of feldspars above 10 GPa
Feldspars are stable at pressures up to 3 GPa along the mantle geotherm, but they can persist metastably at higher pressures at colder conditions. Here, above 10 GPa the authors find new high-pressure polymorphs of feldspars that could persist at depths corresponding to the Earth’s upper mantle, potentially influencing the dynamics and fate of cold subducting slabs.
- Anna Pakhomova
- , Dariia Simonova
- & Leonid Dubrovinsky
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Article
| Open AccessEffect of sulfur on sound velocity of liquid iron under Martian core conditions
Applying high-pressure and -temperature experiments, the authors here measure sound velocities in various liquid Fe-S alloys under conditions expected for the upper Martian core. The results together with future InSight mission data will help to understand whether the Martian core is molten Fe-S.
- Keisuke Nishida
- , Yuki Shibazaki
- & Kei Hirose