Preprints

Seismological Expression of the Iron Spin Crossover in Ferropericlase in the Earth’s Lower Mantle

Grace E. Shephard, Christine Houser, John Hernlund, Juan J. Valencia-Cardona, Reidar Trønnes, Renata Wentzkovitch

Published: 2020-06-29
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geophysics and Seismology, Mineral Physics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Physics, Quantum Physics, Tectonics and Structure

The two most abundant minerals on Earth which together make up over 90% of the Earth’s lower mantle are (Mg,Fe)O-ferropericlase (Fp) and (Mg,Fe)SiO3-bridgmanite (Bm). Iron in Fp undergoes a high-spin to low-spin (HS-LS) crossover that influences density, viscosity, elasticity, thermal conductivity, and elemental partitioning, however, the predicted effects of this transition are not apparent in [...]