Physicochemical formation conditions of natural diamond deduced from experimental study of the eclogite-carbonatite-sulfide-diamond system

A diagram of the syngenesis of diamond, silicate, carbonate, and sulfide minerals and melts is compiled based on experimental data on phase relations in the heterogeneous eclogite-carbonate-sulfidediamond system at P = 7 GPa. Evidence is provided that silicate and carbonate minerals are paragenetic, whereas sulfides are xenogenic with respect to diamond. Diamond and paragenetic phases are formed in completely miscible carbonate-silicate growth melts with dissolved elemental carbon. Coherent data of physicochemical experiment and mineralogy of primary inclusions in natural diamonds allows us to prove the mantle-carbonatite theory of diamond origin. The genetic classification of primary inclusions in natural diamonds is based on this theory. The phase diagrams of syngenesis are applicable to interpretation of diamond and syngenetic minerals formation in natural magma sources. They ascertain physicochemical mechanism of natural diamond formation and conditions of entrapment of paragenetic and xenogenic mineral phases by growing diamonds.     

鄂尔多斯盆地南部马莲河流域地下水中锶富集特征及成因分析

马莲河流域地处鄂尔多斯盆地南部黄土高原区,按储水介质和埋藏条件可将地下水分为黄土潜水、基岩潜水和基岩承压水三类,利用2015—2018年流域的295组地下水水化学数据,分析了地下水中锶(Sr²⁺)的质量浓度水平、垂向分布及沿流向分布的特征,并采用因子相关性研究地下水中Sr²⁺的来源和富集成因。结果表明:马莲河流域地下水富锶现象显著,黄土潜水、基岩潜水和基岩承压水中锶的平均质量浓度分别为1.14 mg/l、1.39 mg/l和5.24 mg/l;地下水中锶富集成因主要是含锶矿物天然状态下的水-岩作用,黄土潜水、基岩潜水和基岩承压水三类地下水中Sr²⁺的主要来源分别为碳酸盐岩与铝硅酸盐岩、碳酸盐岩与硫酸盐和碳酸盐矿物的溶滤作用;地下水中Sr²⁺的质量浓度沿流向呈逐渐增大的趋势,在不同区域中随深度变化的趋势不一致。     

Till and bedrock geochemistry in Sn exploration: A case study

The youngest intrusive phases of the rapakivi granites are known as Sn granites. The endocontact and exocontact zones of the Viipuri rapakivi massif and its satellites have been considered on theoretical grounds as critical areas for Sn deposits. The area between the Viipuri rapakivi massif and its satellite, the Ahvenisto massif, was selected for prospecting as one Sn critical area.Heavy-mineral geochemistry was used in the reconnaissance phase. Samples (10 1) from the surficial part of the till deposits were taken from a sparse sampling grid. Heavy minerals of the samples were concentrated by washing on a riffle box and by subsequent heavy-liquid separation. The non-magnetic heavy fraction was analyzed by XRF. Quite a large and coherent glaciogenic Sn anomaly was found, the head of which terminated in the southern part of the Ahvenisto rapakivi massif.The source of the anomaly was sought by taking basal till and bedrock samples with a tractor-mounted percussion drill. The fine fraction of till was analyzed by AAS and the bedrock samples by XRF and AAS. Mainly on the basis of Sn and Cu anomalies in basal till and bedrock 10 holes were diamond drilled into bedrock. Several topaz-bearing greisen bodies with uneconomic Sn content were penetrated. The results demonstrate the soundness of the theory and the methods used.     

Types, abundances and distribution of kimberlite indicator minerals in alluvial sediments, Wawa–Kinniwabi Lake area, Northeastern Ontario: implications for the presence of diamond-bearing kimberlite

In response to the discovery of diamonds within modern alluvium in the glaciated area of Wawa, Ontario, Canada, the Ontario Geological Survey undertook a regional program of surficial mapping and modern alluvial sediment sampling to assess the potential of the area for diamond-bearing kimberlite. Five varieties of kimberlite-derived indicator minerals were recovered and the composition of three varieties was evaluated, resulting in the identification of G10 Cr-pyrope garnet, inclusion field chromite and Mg-ilmenite. The distribution of indicator minerals was examined in the context of the glacial and bedrock geology. Glacial dispersal from non-kimberlitic marker units is restricted (commonly less than 200 m) and many kimberlite indicator minerals were recovered from samples collected close to cross-cutting NE–SW and NW–SE faults and a strong NE–SW trend in the bedrock associated with the Kapuskasing Structural Zone. From this, several potential exploration targets for diamond-bearing kimberlite are defined.     

Interaction of thionocarbamate and thiourea collectors with sulphide minerals: a flotation and adsorption study

The ability of O-isopropyl-N-ethyl thionocarbamate (IPETC), O-isobutyl-N-ethoxycarbonyl thionocarbamate (IBECTC) and butyl ethoxycarbonyl thiourea (BECTU) collectors to increase the flotation of the sulphide minerals, chalcopyrite, galena and pyrite, has been studied. For each collector, the flotation characteristics of these minerals, flotation rate constant and flotation recovery maximum, have been calculated from the flotation data and compared as a function of pH and collector concentration. Overall, the flotation performance of these collectors is stronger for chalcopyrite than for galena and pyrite. Flotation increases with collector concentration and decreasing pH values. For chalcopyrite, the collector performances of BECTU are slightly better than those of IPETC but far superior to those of IBECTC, especially at high pH values or at low collector concentrations. The flotation performance of these collectors has been shown to be in good agreement with the amount of collector adsorbed at the mineral surface. The affinity of BECTU for the various minerals has been calculated using a multilayer adsorption model.     

Strontium Isotopic Signatures of Streams from Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Revisited: The Role of Carbonate Mineral Dissolution

We have collected and analyzed a larger set of stream waters for major ions and strontium isotopes in Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. These new data substantiate the concept that the dissolution of carbonate minerals is a significant source of strontium, even in polar desert environments where liquid water is primarily limited to stream channels. In Taylor Valley, most of the carbonate minerals present are the result of secondary processes, such as mineral precipitation and/or eolian deposition, and not through primary geologic sources, such as bedrock or till sources. In Von Guerard Stream (Lake Fryxell basin) and Andersen Creek (Lake Hoare basin), water samples were collected during the austral summer to determine short-term ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr patterns. The observed variability in both time and space may be dependent on the relative amounts of primary and secondary carbonates present in the streambeds and hyporheic zone as well as contingent on the relative proportions of carbonate and aluminosilicate weathering.     

湘西地区铂族矿物的发现及其找矿意义

在湘西地区勘查金刚石矿的自然重砂和人工重砂样中,发现了较多的铂族矿物,且铂族矿物与金刚石及砂金紧密共生。湘西地区共发现铂族矿物出土点7个,为寻找潜在矿产资源提供了新信息。     

Some observations on diamondiferous bedrock gully trapsites on Late Cainozoic, marine-cut platforms of the Sperrgebiet, Namibia

Namibia's southwestern coast, the Sperrgebiet, hosts one of the world's largest gem diamond placer deposits consisting of fluvial, marine and desert deflation/aeolian placer types. To date, the richest onshore placer discovered in the Sperrgebiet comprises several, Plio-Pleistocene to Holocene, littoral marine packages distributed northwards from the Orange River mouth for some 120 km to Chameis Bay. In this zone, known as Mining Area No. 1 (MA1), these Quaternary marine deposits are floored predominantly by siliciclastic rocks of the Late Proterozoic Gariep Belt that have been bevelled into a number of marine-cut platforms during the different Quaternary high sea level stands (notably, at + 30 m, + 8 m, + 4 m and + 2 m). In many places, these bedrock platforms are extensively gullied and potholed, forming abundant fixed trapsites that promote diamond concentration in the Late Cainozoic littoral sediments. Some observations on the distribution, orientation and incision of bedrock gullies in MA1 are presented here.Three principal bedrock gully types, all of which constitute good diamond trapsites, have been identified in the bedrock footwall between the Orange River mouth northwards to Chameis Bay, a distance of some 120 km: (i) swash-parallel gullies in the southern, proximal sector where the bedrock s₂ dips 45°W and the abrasive gravels are most abundant, thus overriding lithological and structural controls in the footwall; (ii) strike-parallel gullies in the central reach where the bedrock s₂ dips between 80° and 85°W and the abrasive bedload is reduced, resistant lithological units promote the formation of such features along the orientation of the metsediments; and (iii) joint gullies in the northern, distal portion where the bedrock s₂ dips 45–60° to the E and coarse abrasive bedload is virtually absent, the structural pattern in the bedrock is exploited by marine erosion.In these Late Cainozoic placers, diamond concentration is further linked to the depth of the gullies incised into the marine-cut platforms. Maximum incision is noted on the seaward margins of the marine-cut platforms where high-energy littoral processes, acting in a micro-tidal range of ca. 1.8 m under strong prevailing southerly wind and South Atlantic derived southwesterly swell regimes, promote marine erosion and deep gully formation.Therefore, the most favourable diamondiferous trapsites in the Late Cainozoic marine packages of the southwestern Sperrgebiet are those developed in deep bedrock gullies of either swash-parallel, strike-parallel or joint pattern origin on the seaward margins of marine-cut platforms that represent discrete high sea level stands during the Quaternary.     

基于碎屑锆石的黄土高原—毛乌素交界区石峁黄土粉尘物源估算*

对于黄土高原粉尘物质的来源以及沙漠和河流对粉尘的贡献,仍未达成一致的认识。本研究以毛乌素东神木市石峁剖面为研究对象,利用碎屑锆石年龄谱,对末次冰消期以来的风成粉尘堆积和河流沉积物展开源区分析,并使用逆蒙特卡罗模型进行物源的定量计算。结果显示,粒径分布和阴极发光(CL)图像显示石峁黄土为典型风成沉积。其粗颗粒碎屑锆石(>40 μm)年龄峰值集中在190~300 Ma、300~600 Ma、1700~1900 Ma和2300~2600 Ma,年龄谱显示近源(局地基岩碎屑)、中源(黄河河沙)和远源(阿拉善地区沙漠)均有贡献; 定量计算表明,三者分别贡献71%、21%和8%的风成粗颗粒。中、近源中,黄河及其支流侵蚀基岩后搬运沉积的漫滩物质成为粉尘输移的中转站,为黄土的形成提供了主要的物源。光释光测年结果表明,石峁剖面河流沉积物及其上覆的黄土物质分别形成于倒数第2次冰消期和末次冰消期,两者之间的沉积间断可能指示了末次冰期至冰消期的侵蚀事件,导致了河滩物质暴露,从而形成了潜在的局地尘源。这些结果表明,包括黄河干支流在内的河流系统对黄土粉尘有重要的物源贡献。     

Compositional classification of “kimberlitic” and “non-kimberlitic” ilmenite

Ilmenite is one of the common kimberlitic indicator minerals recovered during diamond exploration, and its distinction from non-kimberlitic rock types is important. This is particularly true for regions where these minerals are present in relatively low abundance, and they are the dominant kimberlitic indicator mineral recovered. Difficulty in visually differentiating kimberlitic from non-kimberlitic ilmenite in exploration concentrates is also an issue, and distinguishing kimberlitic ilmenite from those derive from other similar rocks, such as ultramafic lamprophyres, is practically impossible. Ilmenite is also the indicator mineral whose compositional variety has the most potential to resolve provenance issues related to mineral dispersions with contributions from multiple kimberlite sources.

Various published data sets from selected kimberlitic (including kimberlites, lamproites, and various ultramafic lamprophyres) and non-kimberlitic rock types have been compiled and evaluated in terms of their major element compositions. Compositional fields and bounding reference lines for ilmenites derived from kimberlites (sensu stricto), ultramafic lamprophyres, and other non-kimberlitic rock types have been defined primarily on MgO–TiO₂ graphs as well as MgO–Cr₂O₃ relationships.     

基于碎屑锆石的黄土高原—毛乌素交界区石峁黄土粉尘物源估算*

对于黄土高原粉尘物质的来源以及沙漠和河流对粉尘的贡献,仍未达成一致的认识。本研究以毛乌素东神木市石峁剖面为研究对象,利用碎屑锆石年龄谱,对末次冰消期以来的风成粉尘堆积和河流沉积物展开源区分析,并使用逆蒙特卡罗模型进行物源的定量计算。结果显示,粒径分布和阴极发光(CL)图像显示石峁黄土为典型风成沉积。其粗颗粒碎屑锆石(>40 μm)年龄峰值集中在190~300 Ma、300~600 Ma、1700~1900 Ma和2300~2600 Ma,年龄谱显示近源(局地基岩碎屑)、中源(黄河河沙)和远源(阿拉善地区沙漠)均有贡献; 定量计算表明,三者分别贡献71%、21%和8%的风成粗颗粒。中、近源中,黄河及其支流侵蚀基岩后搬运沉积的漫滩物质成为粉尘输移的中转站,为黄土的形成提供了主要的物源。光释光测年结果表明,石峁剖面河流沉积物及其上覆的黄土物质分别形成于倒数第2次冰消期和末次冰消期,两者之间的沉积间断可能指示了末次冰期至冰消期的侵蚀事件,导致了河滩物质暴露,从而形成了潜在的局地尘源。这些结果表明,包括黄河干支流在内的河流系统对黄土粉尘有重要的物源贡献。     

Spectroscopic constraints on growth of Siberian mixed-habit diamonds

Notable within-crystal variability of mineralogical and geochemical properties of single natural diamonds are commonly attributed to changing chemistry of parental fluids, sources of carbon and redox conditions of diamond precipitation. A distinct type of compositional heterogeneity (mixed-habit structure) is well-known to occur in diamonds as well as in many other minerals due to purely “structural” reasons that are unequal crystal chemistry of crystallographically different faces and selective absorption and fractionation of impurities between adjacent growth pyramids. Based on the combined cathodoluminescence, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy, study of nine diamond crystals with different growth histories and external morphology, but all showing mixed-habit patterns at different growth stages, we show that mixed-diamonds may grow in closed system conditions or with a slowly decreasing growth rate from a media with a much lower impurity content than previously thought. Intracrystal nitrogen distribution seems to be a function of growth rate even in the cases of unusual impurity partitioning between growth sectors. Generally poor with IR-active hydrogen at moderate nitrogen aggregation parameters, studied diamonds likely resemble the low hydrogen content from the growth medium that, for cubic diamonds, was typically suggested hydrogen-rich and a crucial factor for growth of cubic and mixed-habit diamonds. We also show that mixed-habit diamond growth may occur not only in peridotitic suite but also in an extended field of geochemical affinities from high-Ni to low-Ni or maybe even Ni-free environments, such as pyroxenitic or eclogitic.     

Paragenetic relations of diamond with silicate and carbonate minerals in the carbonatite-diamond system: Experiments at 8.5 GPa

Phase relations of diamond and syngenetic minerals were experimentally investigated in the multicomponent system natural carbonatite-diamond at a pressure of 8.5 GPa and temperatures of 1300–1800°C (within the thermodynamic stability field of diamond). Under such conditions, the natural carbonatite of the Chagatai complex (Uzbekistan) acquires the mineralogy of Ca-rich eclogites (grospydites). The melting phase diagram of this system (syngenesis diagram) was constructed; an important element of this diagram is the diamond solubility curve in completely miscible carbonate-silicate melts (solubility values are 15–18 wt % C). The diamond solubility curve divides the phase diagram into two fields corresponding to (1) phase relations involving diamond-undersaturated melts-solutions of carbon with garnet as a liquidus phase (region of diamond dissolution) and (2) phase relations with diamond-saturated melts-solutions with diamond as a liquidus phase (region of diamond crystallization). During a temperature decrease in the region of diamond crystallization from carbonate-silicate melts, the crystallization of diamond is accompanied by the sequential formation of the following phase assemblages: diamond + garnet + melt, diamond + garnet + clinopyroxene + melt, and diamond + garnet + clinopyroxene + carbonate + melt, and the subsolidus assemblage diamond + garnet + clinopyroxene + carbonate is eventually formed. This is indicative of the paragenetic nature of silicate and carbonate minerals co-crystallizing with diamond and corresponding primary inclusions trapped by the growing diamond. A physicochemical mechanism was proposed for the formation of diamond in carbonate-silicate melts. The obtained results were used to analyze the physicochemical behavior of a natural diamond-forming magma chamber.     

Strontium isotope composition of runoff from a glaciated carbonate terrain

The relationship between subglacial chemical weathering processes and the Sr isotope composition of runoff from Robertson Glacier, Alberta, Canada, is investigated. This glacier rests on predominantly carbonate bedrock of Upper Devonian age, but silicate minerals are also present. The provenance of solute in meltwaters is found to vary systematically with solute concentration and, by inference, subglacial water residence time. In dilute waters, the principal process of solute acquisition is calcite dissolution fueled by protons derived from the dissolution of CO₂ and subsequent dissociation of carbonic acid. At higher solute concentrations, dolomite dissolution coupled to sulfide oxidation is more important. Sr concentration is found to increase with total solute concentration in two separate meltwater streams draining from the glacier, but ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr only increases in the eastern melt stream. Carbonate and K-feldspar sources are shown to dominate the Sr content of the western stream, irrespective of concentration. They also dominate the Sr content of the eastern stream at low and intermediate concentrations, but at higher concentrations, muscovite (with high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) is also an important Sr source. This reflects the outcrop of muscovite-bearing lithologies in the catchment of the eastern stream and an increase in the rate of weathering of K-silicates relative to that of carbonates as more concentrated solutions approach saturation with respect to carbonates. Nonstoichiometric release of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and preferential release of Sr over K from freshly ground K-silicate surfaces may also occur. This may help to explain the radiogenic nature of runoff from distributed subglacial drainage systems, which are characterized by long water:rock contact times and water flow through environments in which crushing and grinding of bedrock are active processes.Although the exchangeable Sr in tills has higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr than local carbonate bedrock, only the more concentrated meltwaters from the eastern stream display similarly high values. The most dilute waters, which probably transport the bulk of the dissolved Sr flux from the glacier, have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr characteristic of local carbonate bedrock. Thus, the results suggest that although enhanced weathering of silicate minerals containing radiogenic Sr (such as muscovite) does occur in glaciated carbonate terrains, it is unlikely to contribute to any enhanced flux of radiogenic Sr from glaciated continental surfaces to the oceans.     

Grain-size distribution of subglacial till and its realtion to glacial scrushing and abrasion

A subglacial till formed from a sandstone bedrock has a variable grain-size distribution which reflects its variable genesis. Glacial comminution processes were simulated by artificial mill experiments with fragments of the sandstone bedrock. Pure crushing caused disintegration along mineral boundaries into separate minerals, most mineral grains retaining their primary size during the crushing process. Abrasion produced cracks across the minerals and resulted in silt-sized rock flour. The experiments indicate that most of the sand-sized till material formed as a result of crushing, while the silt is mainly the result of abrasion. The sand and silt are both regarded as components resistant to further glacial comminution, but are formed by different comminution processes. By considering also the coarser till material, the general principles of glacial breakdown of resistant rocks from boulders to sand or silt can be illustrated. A matrix index and an abrasion index based on the mill experiments distinguish well between genetically different subglacial till types     

The hydromagnesite playas of Atlin, British Columbia, Canada: A biogeochemical model for CO2 sequestration

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions may be offset by sequestering carbon dioxide (CO₂) through the carbonation of magnesium silicate minerals to form magnesium carbonate minerals. The hydromagnesite [Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂·4H₂O] playas of Atlin, British Columbia, Canada provide a natural model to examine mineral carbonation on a watershed scale. At near surface conditions, CO₂ is biogeochemically sequestered by microorganisms that are involved in weathering of bedrock and precipitation of carbonate minerals. The purpose of this study was to characterize the weathering regime in a groundwater recharge zone and the depositional environments in the playas in the context of a biogeochemical model for CO₂ sequestration with emphasis on microbial processes that accelerate mineral carbonation.Regions with ultramafic bedrock, such as Atlin, represent the best potential sources of feedstocks for mineral carbonation. Elemental compositions of a soil profile show significant depletion of MgO and enrichment of SiO₂ in comparison to underlying ultramafic parent material. Polished serpentinite cubes were placed in the organic horizon of a coniferous forest soil in a groundwater recharge zone for three years. Upon retrieval, the cube surfaces, as seen using scanning electron microscopy, had been colonized by bacteria that were associated with surface pitting. Degradation of organic matter in the soil produced chelating agents and acids that contributed to the chemical weathering of the serpentinite and would be expected to have a similar effect on the magnesium-rich bedrock at Atlin. Stable carbon isotopes of groundwater from a well, situated near a wetland in the southeastern playa, indicate that  12% of the dissolved inorganic carbon has a modern origin from soil CO₂.The mineralogy and isotope geochemistry of the hydromagnesite playas suggest that there are three distinct depositional environments: (1) the wetland, characterized by biologically-aided precipitation of carbonate minerals from waters concentrated by evaporation, (2) isolated wetland sections that lead to the formation of consolidated aragonite sediments, and (3) the emerged grassland environment where evaporation produces mounds of hydromagnesite. Examination of sediments within the southeastern playa–wetland suggests that cyanobacteria, sulphate reducing bacteria, and diatoms aid in producing favourable geochemical conditions for precipitation of carbonate minerals.The Atlin site, as a biogeochemical model, has implications for creating carbon sinks that utilize passive microbial, geochemical and physical processes that aid in mineral carbonation of magnesium silicates. These processes could be exploited for the purposes of CO₂ sequestration by creating conditions similar to those of the Atlin site in environments, artificial or natural, where the precipitation of magnesium carbonates would be suitable. Given the vast quantities of Mg-rich bedrock that exist throughout the world, this study has significant implications for reducing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and combating global climate change.     

Rare earth and strontium aluminophosphates from the Vol-Vym Ridge of the Middle Timan

The genesis and primary source of the well-known diamond placers in the Umba-Pizhma region of Timan still remain unclear. Diamonds are not associated with the typical index minerals of the ultramafic assemblage. Epigenetic rare earth aluminophosphates (florencite, goyazite, etc.) occur as individual grains or supergene coatings on the diamonds’ surfaces without any relation to the primary diamond assemblage. They are often observed over syngenetic metal films on the diamond crystals’ surfaces. These minerals also occur as secondary inclusions in pores of leucoxene from the Pizhma deposit, as well as in Brazilian carbonados. Owing to their typomorphic features, aluminophosphates may be used as the secondary index minerals of the diamonds.     

Raman spectroscopy at high pressure and high temperature. Phase transitions and thermodynamic properties of minerals

An outline of recent developments in Raman spectroscopy at high pressure, high temperature and combined high pressure and high temperature is presented. The instrumental and technical aspects of Raman spectroscopy, and coupling of diamond anvil cells and miniature furnaces to Raman microspectrometers are discussed. Some potential pitfalls, such as the thermal pressure in laser heated diamond anvil cells or the thermal radiation during high-temperature measurements, are presented. Special emphasis is given on processing of high-temperature Raman data. New recently discovered phase transformations in the SiO₂ system (quartz→ quartz II, pressure-induced amorphization of quartz) and structural changes in SiO₂ glass and melt are used to infer the capability of in-situ Raman spectroscopy for determining the microscopic behaviour of minerals, melts and glasses under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. Finally, it is shown how vibrational mode anharmonicity can be obtained from the pressure- and temperature-induced shifts of Raman modes. This anharmonicity can be introduced into the vibrational modeling of the thermodynamic properties (entropy and equation of state) of minerals. The example of calcite is briefly discussed.     

山东平邑大井头地区金刚石与伴生矿物来源的新认识

在山东省平邑县大井头地区进行金刚石原生矿普查时选获大量金刚石及伴生矿物,且分布范围较小,铬铁矿异常属于致矿异常,金刚石及伴生矿物并非来自已知的金刚石原生矿区.通过对大井头地区大量资料的深入研究,认为该地区具有金刚石成矿的地质条件,存在金刚石的原生矿物,并对原生矿及相关岩石的赋存状态提出新的认识.     

Evaluation of the non-hydrostatic stress produced in a multi-anvil high pressure apparatus

Olivine single crystals have been deformed under high confining pressure (P=5?GPa) and temperature (T=1400?°C) conditions in a multi-anvil high pressure apparatus. NaCl, diamond and NaCl+diamond (2:1 by volume) powders were encapsulated along with the olivine single crystals in order to produce a range of stress states. The change of the non-hydrostatic stress transmitted to the olivine samples, enclosed within these three different media, during heating has been evaluated by observation of dislocation microstructure and density. A higher differential stress can be generated with diamond powder (0.1?GPa) than with NaCl powder (0.02?GPa). Although an intermediate differential stress between 0.1?GPa and 0.02?GPa had been expected to be generated using NaCl+diamond powder, the generation of non-hydrostatic stress in the olivine sample was unsuccessful. This may be caused by the fact that compaction (or sintering) proceeded in the capsule throughout the experiments. The most important finding of these experiments is that a constant non-hydrostatic stress can be applied to a sample under very high pressure and temperature conditions within the multi-anvil high pressure apparatus for the duration of the experiment. This approach is therefore suitable for investigating the steady-state rheological properties of mantle minerals at near-mantle conditions.