Core formation represents the most significant differentiation event in Earth's history. Our planet's present layered structure with a metallic core and an overlying mantle implies that there must be a mechanism to separate iron alloy from silicates in the initially accreted material. At upper mantle conditions, percolation has been ruled out as an efficient mechanism because of the tendency of molten iron to form isolated pockets at these pressures and temperatures. Here we present experimental evidence of a liquid iron alloy forming an interconnected melt network within a silicate perovskite matrix under pressure and temperature conditions of the Earth's lower mantle. Using nanoscale synchrotron X-ray computed tomography, we image a marked transition in the shape of the iron-rich melt in three-dimensional reconstructions of samples prepared at varying pressures and temperatures using a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell. We find that, as the pressure increases from 25 to 64 GPa, the iron distribution changes from isolated pockets to an interconnected network. Our results indicate that percolation could be a viable mechanism of core formation at Earth's lower mantle conditions.
Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States; Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; HPSynC, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Argonne, IL 60439, United States; Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States; HPCAT, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Argonne, IL 60439, United States; Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States; Photon Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
Recommended Citation:
Shi C.Y.,Zhang L.,Yang W.,et al. Formation of an interconnected network of iron melt at Earth's lower mantle conditions[J]. Nature Geoscience,2013-01-01,6(11)