In situ X-ray observations of phase transitions in MgAl<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> spinel to 40 GPa using multianvil apparatus with sintered diamond anvils

 Phase transitions in MgAl₂O₄ spinel have been studied at pressures 22–38 GPa, and at temperatures up to 1600 °C, using a combination of synchrotron radiation and a multianvil apparatus with sintered diamond anvils. Spinel dissociated into a mixture of MgO plus Al₂O₃ at pressures to 25 GPa, while it transformed to the CaFe₂O₄ (calcium ferrite) structure at higher pressures via the metastably formed oxide mixture upon increasing temperature. Neither the e-phase nor the CaTi₂O₄-type MgAl₂O₄, which were reported in earlier studies using the diamond-anvil cell, were observed in the present pressure and temperature range. The zero-pressure bulk modulus of the calcium-ferrite-type MgAl₂O₄ was calculated as K=213 (3) GPa, which is significantly lower than that reported by Yutani et al. (1997), but is consistent with a more recent result by Funamori et al. (1998) and that estimated by an ab initio calculation by Catti (2001). Received: 2 April 2002 / Accepted: 29 July 2002 Acknowledgements The authors thank Y. Higo, Y. Sueda, T.␣Ueda, Y. Tanimoto, A. Fukuyama, K. Ochi, F. Kurio and T. Kawahara for help in the in situ X-ray observations at SPring-8 (No: 2000A0061-CD-np and 2000B0093-ND-np). We also thank W.␣Utsumi, J. Ando and O. Shimomura for advice and encouragement during this study, and N. Funamori and an anonymous reviwer for comments on the article. The present study is partly supported by the grant-in-aid for Scientific Research (A) of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sport and Culture of the Japanese government (no: 11694088).     

A Raman spectroscopic study of shock-wave densification of vitreous silica

The densification processes in SiO₂ glass induced by shock-wave compression up to 43.4 GPa are investigated by Raman spectroscopy. At first, densification increases with increasing shock pressure. A maximum densification of 11% is obtained for a shock pressure of 26.3 GPa. This densification is attributed to the reduction of the average Si−O−Si angle, which occurs first by the collapse of the largest ring cavities, then by further reduction of the average ring size. For higher shock pressures, a different structural modification is observed, resulting in decreasing densification with increasing shock pressure. Indeed, the recovered densification becomes very small, with values of 1.8 and 0.5% at 32 and 43.4 GPa, respectively. This is attributed to partial annealing of the samples due to high after shock residual temperatures. The study of the annealing process of the most densified glass by in situ high temperature Raman spectroscopy confirms that relaxation of the Si−O−Si angle starts at a lower temperature (about 800 K) than that of the siloxane rings (about 1000 K), thus explaining the high intensity of the siloxane defect bands in the samples schocked at compressions of 32 and 43.4 GPa. The large intensity of the siloxane bands in the nearly undensified samples shocked by compressions above 30 GPa may be explained by the relaxation during decompression of five- and six-fold coordinated silicon species formed at high pressure and high temperature during the shock event. Received: March 30, 1998 / Revised, accepted: August 21, 1998     

LiFeSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> and NaFeSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> at low temperatures: an infrared spectroscopic study

 Synthetic aegirine LiFeSi₂O₆ and NaFeSi₂O₆ were characterized using infrared spectroscopy in the frequency range 50–2000 cm⁻¹, and at temperatures between 20 and 300 K. For the C2/c phase of LiFeSi₂O₆, 25 of the 27 predicted infrared bands and 26 of 30 predicted Raman bands are recorded at room temperature. NaFeSi₂O₆ (with symmetry C2/c) shows 25 infrared and 26 Raman bands. On cooling, the C2/c–P2₁/c structural phase transition of LiFeSi₂O₆ is characterized by the appearance of 13 additional recorded peaks. This observation indicates the enlargement of the unit cell at the transition point. The appearance of an extra band near 688 cm⁻¹ in the monoclinic P2₁/c phase, which is due to the Si–O–Si vibration in the Si₂O₆ chains, indicates that there are two non-equivalent Si sites with different Si–O bond lengths. Most significant spectral changes appear in the far-infrared region, where Li–O and Fe–O vibrations are mainly located. Infrared bands between 300 and 330 cm⁻¹ show unusually dramatic changes at temperatures far below the transition. Compared with the infrared data of NaFeSi₂O₆ measured at low temperatures, the change in LiFeSi₂O₆ is interpreted as the consequence of mode crossing in the frequency region. A generalized Landau theory was used to analyze the order parameter of the C2/c–P2₁/c phase transition, and the results suggest that the transition is close to tricritical. Received: 21 January 2002 / Accepted: 22 July 2002     

Raman spectroscopic study of hydrous <Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>-Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiO<Subscript>4</Subscript> to 56.5 GPa

 Raman spectra of a single-crystal fragment of hydrous γ-Mg₂SiO₄, synthesized in a multianvil press, have been measured in a diamond-anvil cell with helium as pressure-transmitting medium to 56.5 GPa at room temperature. All five characteristic spinel Raman modes shift continuously up to the highest pressure, showing no evidence for a major change in the crystal structure despite compression well beyond the stability field of ringwoodite in terms of pressure. At pressures above ∼30 GPa a new mode on the low-frequency site of the two silicate-stretching modes is clearly identifiable, indicating a modification in the spinel structure which is reversible on pressure release. The frequency of the new mode (802 cm⁻¹ extrapolated to 1 bar) suggests the presence of Si–O–Si linkages and/or a partial increase in the coordination of Si. Direct determination of the subtle structural change causing the new Raman mode would require high-pressure, single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments. The Raman modes of hydrous and anhydrous Mg-end-member ringwoodite are nearly identical up to 20 GPa, suggesting that protonation has only minor effect on the lattice dynamics over the entire pressure stability range for ringwoodite in the mantle. Received: 7 December 2001 / Accepted: 16 April 2002     

First-principles-based calculations of the CaCO<Subscript>3</Subscript>–MgCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and CdCO<Subscript>3</Subscript>–MgCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> subsolidus phase diagrams

 Planewave pseudopotential calculations of supercell total energies were used as bases for first-principles calculations of the CaCO₃–MgCO₃ and CdCO₃–MgCO₃ phase diagrams. Calculated phase diagrams are in qualitative to semiquantitative agreement with experiment. Two unobserved phases, Cd₃Mg (CO₃)₄ and CdMg₃(CO₃)₄, are predicted. No new phases are predicted in the CaCO₃–MgCO₃ system, but a low-lying metastable Ca₃Mg(CO₃)₄ state, analogous to the Cd₃Mg(CO₃)₄ phase is predicted. All of the predicted lowest-lying metastable states, except for huntite CaMg₃(CO₃)₄, have dolomite-related structures, i.e. they are layer structures in which A _m B _n cation layers lie perpendicular to the rhombohedral [111] vector. Received: 6 May 2002 / Accepted: 23 October 2002 Acknowledgements This work was partially supported by NSF contract DMR-0080766 and NIST.     

Magnetic phase diagrams of Mg-, Fe-, (Cu + Ti)- and Cu-substituted braunite Mn<Superscript>2+</Superscript>Mn<Subscript>6</Subscript><Superscript>3+</Superscript>SiO<Subscript>12</Subscript>

 The magnetic behavior of the Jahn-Teller structure braunite, (Mn²⁺ _1−yM _y )(Mn³⁺ _{6− x} M_x)SiO₁₂, is strongly influenced by the incorporation of elements substituting manganese. Magnetic properties of well-defined synthetic samples were investigated in dependence on the composition. The final results are presented in magnetic phase diagrams. To derive the necessary data, ac susceptibility and magnetization of braunites with the substitutional elements M = Mg, Fe, (Cu+Ti) and Cu were measured. Whereas the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature, T _N , of pure braunite is hardly affected by the substitution of nonmagnetic Mg, it is rapidly suppressed by the substitution of magnetic atoms at the Mn positions. Typically for a concentration (x, y) ≥ 0.7 of the substituted elements, a spin glass phase occurs in the magnetic phase diagrams. Additionally, for the braunite system with Fe³⁺ substitutions, we observe in the concentration range 0.2 < x< 0.7 a double transition from the paramagnetic state, first to the antiferromagnetic state, followed by a transition to a spin glass state at lower temperatures. The unusual change of the magnetic properties with magnetic substitution at the Mn positions is attributed to the peculiar antiferromagnetic structure of braunite, which has been resolved recently. Received: 19 April 2001 / Accepted: 6 September 2001     

Heat capacity and entropy of rutile (TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>) and nepheline (NaAlSiO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)

 From heat capacities measured adiabatically at low temperatures, the standard entropies at 298.15 K of synthetic rutile (TiO₂) and nepheline (NaAlSiO₄) have been determined to be 50.0 ± 0.1 and 122.8 ± 0.3 J mol⁻¹ K, respectively. These values agree with previous measurements and in particular confirm the higher entropy of nepheline with respect to that of the less dense NaAlSiO₄ polymorph carnegieite. Received: 23 July 2001 / Accepted: 12 October 2001     

Tilting and distortion of CaSnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> perovskite to 7 GPa determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction

The structural changes of CaSnO₃, a GdFeO₃-type perovskite, have been investigated to 7 GPa in a diamond-anvil cell at room temperature using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Significant changes are observed in both the octahedral Sn–O bond lengths and tilt angles between the SnO6 octahedra. The octahedral (SnO6) site shows anisotropic compression and consequently the distortion of SnO6 increases with pressure. Increased pressure also results in a decrease of both of the inter-octahedral angles, Sn–O1–Sn and Sn–O2–Sn, indicating that octahedral tilting increases with increasing pressure, chiefly equivalent to rotation of the SnO6 octahedra about the pseudocubic <001>_p axis. The distortion in the CaO12 and SnO6 sites, along with the octahedral SnO6 tilting, is attributed to the SnO6 site being less compressible than the CaO12 site.Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge with gratitude the financial support for this work from NSF grant EAR-0105864. Ruby pressure measurements were conducted with the Raman system in the Vibrational Spectroscopy Laboratory in the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech with the help of Mr. Charles Farley.     

Determination of cation distribution in (Co,Ni,Zn)2SiO4 olivine by synchrotron X-ray diffraction

 The cation distribution of Co, Ni, and Zn between the M1 and M2 sites of a synthetic olivine was determined with a single-crystal diffraction method. The crystal data are (Co_0.377Ni_0.396Zn_0.227)₂SiO₄, M _r  = 212.692, orthorhombic, Pbnm, a = 475.64(3), b = 1022.83(8), and c = 596.96(6) pm, V = 0.2904(1) nm³, Z = 4, D _x  = 4.864 g cm⁻³, and F(0 0 0) = 408.62. Lattice, positional, and thermal parameters were determined with MoKα radiation; R = 0.025 for 1487 symmetry-independent reflections with F > 4σ(F). The site occupancies of Co, Ni, and Zn were determined with synchrotron radiation employing the anomalous dispersion effect of Co and Ni. The synchrotron radiation data include two sets of intensity data collected at 161.57 and 149.81 pm, which are about 1 pm longer than Co and Ni absorption edges, respectively. The R value was 0.022 for Co K edge data with 174 independent reflections, and 0.034 for Ni K edge data with 169 reflections. The occupancies are 0.334Co + 0.539Ni + 0.127Zn in the M1 sites, and 0.420Co + 0.253Ni + 0.327Zn in the M2 sites. The compilation of the cation distributions in olivines shows that the distributions depend on ionic radii and electronegativities of constituent cations, and that the partition coefficient can be estimated from the equation: ln [(A/B)_M1/(A/B)_M2] = −0.272 (IR _A -IR _B ) + 3.65 (EN _A −EN _B ), where IR (pm) and EN are ionic radius and electronegativity, respectively. Received: 8 April 1999 / Revised, accepted: 7 September 1999     

田黄的X射线衍射研究

用X射线衍射分析的方法测定了12个田黄样品,其中,青田石1个,寿山石9个,昌化田黄石2个。确定青田石由叶蜡石(58%)、绢云母(36.1%)和高岭石(5.9%)组成;昌化田黄石由迪开石组成;寿山石分别由迪开石、高岭石、叶蜡石及绢云母组成。     

Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction study of the thermal decomposition of an ettringite-group crystal

 A Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction study of the thermal decomposition of a naturally occurring, ettringite-group crystal is presented. Raman spectra, recorded with increasing temperature, indicate that the thermal decomposition begins at ≈55 °C, accompanied by dehydration of water molecules from the mineral. This is in contrast to previous studies that reported higher temperature breakdown of ettringite. The dehydration is completed by 175 °C and this results in total collapse of the crystalline structure and the material becomes amorphous. The Raman scattering results are supported by X-ray diffraction results obtained at increasing temperatures. Received: 9 July 2001 / Accepted: 14 August 2002     

Temperature-jump induced cation exchange kinetics in (Co<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>Mg<Subscript>0.9</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiO<Subscript>4</Subscript> olivine: an in situ optical spectroscopic study

In the olivine crystal structure, cations are distributed over two inequivalent octahedral sites, M1 and M2. Kinetics of cation exchange between the two octahedral sites in (Co_0.1Mg_0.9)₂SiO₄ single crystal have been studied in the temperature range from 600 to 800°C by monitoring the time evolution of the absorbance of Co²⁺ ions in M1 or M2 sites using optical spectroscopy after rapid temperature jumps. It was found from such temperature-jump induced relaxation experiments that with increasing temperature the absorbance of Co²⁺ ions in the M1 site decreases while that in the M2 site increases. This indicates a tendency of Co²⁺ cations to populate the M2 site with increasing temperatures and vice versa. The experimental relaxation data can be modeled using a triple exponential equation based on theoretical analysis. Activation energies of 221 ± 4 and 213 ± 10 kJ/mol were derived from relaxation experiments on the M2 site and M1 site, respectively, for the cation exchange processes in (Co_0.1Mg_0.9)₂SiO₄ olivine. Implications for cation diffusion at low temperatures are discussed.     

Magnetic properties and neutron diffraction study of two manganese sulfosalts: monoclinic MnSb<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>4</Subscript> and benavidesite (MnPb<Subscript>4</Subscript>Sb<Subscript>6</Subscript>S<Subscript>14</Subscript>)

Mn²⁺Sb₂S₄, a monoclinic dimorph of clerite, and benavidesite (Mn²⁺Pb₄Sb₆S₁₄) show well-individualized single chains of manganese atoms in octahedral coordination. Their magnetic structures are presented and compared with those of iron derivatives, berthierite (Fe²⁺Sb₂S₄) and jamesonite (Fe²⁺Pb₄Sb₆S₁₄). Within chains, interactions are antiferromagnetic. Like berthierite, MnSb₂S₄ shows a spiral magnetic structure with an incommensurate 1D propagation vector [0, 0.369, 0], unchanged with temperature. In berthierite, the interactions between identical chains are antiferromagnetic, whereas in MnSb₂S₄ interactions between chains are ferromagnetic along c-axis. Below 6 K, jamesonite and benavidesite have commensurate magnetic structures with the same propagation vector [0.5, 0, 0]: jamesonite is a canted ferromagnet and iron magnetic moments are mainly oriented along the a-axis, whereas for benavidesite, no angle of canting is detected, and manganese magnetic moments are oriented along b-axis. Below 30 K, for both compounds, one-dimensional magnetic ordering or correlations are visible in the neutron diagrams and persist down to 1.4 K.     

Low-temperature heat capacities,entropies and enthalpies of Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiO<Subscript>4</Subscript> polymorphs,and α−β−γ and post-spinel phase relations at high pressure

The low-temperature isobaric heat capacities (C _p) of β- and γ-Mg₂SiO₄ were measured at the range of 1.8–304.7 K with a thermal relaxation method using the Physical Property Measurement System. The obtained standard entropies (S°₂₉₈) of β- and γ-Mg₂SiO₄ are 86.4 ± 0.4 and 82.7 ± 0.5 J/mol K, respectively. Enthalpies of transitions among α-, β- and γ-Mg₂SiO₄ were measured by high-temperature drop-solution calorimetry with gas-bubbling technique. The enthalpies of the α−β and β−γ transitions at 298 K (ΔH°₂₉₈) in Mg₂SiO₄ are 27.2 ± 3.6 and 12.9 ± 3.3 kJ/mol, respectively. Calculated α−β and β−γ transition boundaries were generally consistent with those determined by high-pressure experiments within the errors. Combining the measured ΔH°₂₉₈ and ΔS°₂₉₈ with selected data of in situ X-ray diffraction experiments at high pressure, the ΔH°₂₉₈ and ΔS°₂₉₈ of the α−β and β−γ transitions were optimized. Calculation using the optimized data tightly constrained the α−β and β−γ transition boundaries in the P, T space. The slope of α−β transition boundary is 3.1 MPa/K at 13.4 GPa and 1,400 K, and that of β−γ boundary 5.2 MPa/K at 18.7 GPa and 1,600 K. The post-spinel transition boundary of γ-Mg₂SiO₄ to MgSiO₃ perovskite plus MgO was also calculated, using the optimized data on γ-Mg₂SiO₄ and available enthalpy and entropy data on MgSiO₃ perovskite and MgO. The calculated post-spinel boundary with a Clapeyron slope of −2.6 ± 0.2 MPa/K is located at pressure consistent with the 660 km discontinuity, considering the error of the thermodynamic data.     

Potential protonation sites in the Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiO<Subscript>5</Subscript> polymorphs based on polarized FTIR spectroscopy and properties of the electron density distribution

Potential protonation sites for, kyanite, sillimanite, and andalusite, located in a mapping of the (3, −3) critical points displayed by their L(r) = −∇²ρ(r) distributions, are compared with polarized single-crystal FTIR spectra of kyanite and sillimanite determined earlier and with andalusite measured in this study. For andalusite, seven peaks were observed when the electric vector, E, is parallel to [100]: four intense ones at 3,440, 3,460, 3,526, and 3,597 cm⁻¹ and three weaker ones at 3,480, 3,520, and 3,653 cm⁻¹. Six peaks, three intense ones at 3,440, 3,460, and 3,526 cm⁻¹ and three weaker ones at 3,480, 3,520, and 3,653 cm⁻¹ when E parallels [010]. No peaks were observed when E is parallel to [001]. The concentration of water in andalusite varies between 110 and 168 ppm by weight % H₂O. Polarized FTIR spectra indicate that the OH vector is parallel to (001) in andalusite and sillimanite and in kyanite. Examination of the L(r) (3, −3) critical points in comparison with the polarized FTIR indicates that H prefers to bond to the oxygen atoms O1 and O2 in andalusite and O2 and O4 in sillimanite which correspond to the underbonded oxygen atoms and those with the largest L(r) maxima. In kyanite, comparison of the FTIR spectrum and the critical points indicates that H will preferentially bond to the two 4-coordinated O2 and O6 atoms.     

Thermodynamic properties,low-temperature heat-capacity anomalies,and single-crystal X-ray refinement of hydronium jarosite, (H<Subscript>3</Subscript>O)Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>(SO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>(OH)<Subscript>6</Subscript>

Crystals of hydronium jarosite were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of Fe(III)–SO₄ solutions. Single-crystal XRD refinement with R₁=0.0232 for the unique observed reflections (|F_o| > 4_F) and wR₂=0.0451 for all data gave a=7.3559(8) Å, c=17.019(3) Å, V^o=160.11(4) cm³, and fractional positions for all atoms except the H in the H₃O groups. The chemical composition of this sample is described by the formula (H₃O)_0.91Fe_2.91(SO₄)₂[(OH)_5.64(H₂O)_0.18]. The enthalpy of formation (H^o_f) is –3694.5 ± 4.6 kJ mol^–1, calculated from acid (5.0 N HCl) solution calorimetry data for hydronium jarosite, -FeOOH, MgO, H₂O, and -MgSO₄. The entropy at standard temperature and pressure (S^o) is 438.9±0.7 J mol^–1 K^–1, calculated from adiabatic and semi-adiabatic calorimetry data. The heat capacity (C_p) data between 273 and 400 K were fitted to a Maier-Kelley polynomial C_p(T in K)=280.6 + 0.6149T–3199700T^–2. The Gibbs free energy of formation is –3162.2 ± 4.6 kJ mol^–1. Speciation and activity calculations for Fe(III)–SO₄ solutions show that these new thermodynamic data reproduce the results of solubility experiments with hydronium jarosite. A spin-glass freezing transition was manifested as a broad anomaly in the C_p data, and as a broad maximum in the zero-field-cooled magnetic susceptibility data at 16.5 K. Another anomaly in C_p, below 0.7 K, has been tentatively attributed to spin cluster tunneling. A set of thermodynamic values for an ideal composition end member (H₃O)Fe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆ was estimated: G^o_f= –3226.4 ± 4.6 kJ mol^–1, H^o_f=–3770.2 ± 4.6 kJ mol^–1, S^o=448.2 ± 0.7 J mol^–1 K^–1, C_p (T in K)=287.2 + 0.6281T–3286000T^–2 (between 273 and 400 K).     

Structural and vibrational behaviour of fluorapatite with pressure. Part I: in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction investigation

Using single-crystal X-ray diffraction from a diamond anvil cell, the compressibility of a synthetic fluorapatite was determined up to about 7?GPa. The compression pattern was anisotropic, with greater change along a than c. Unit cell parameters varied linearly with β _a =3.32(8)?10^?3 and β _c =2.40(5)?10^?3 GPa^?1, giving a ratio β _a :β _c =1.38:1. Data fitted with a third-order Birch-Murnaghan EOS yielded a bulk modulus of K ₀=93(4)?GPa with K′=5.8(1.8). The evolution of the crystal structure of fluorapatite was analysed using data collected at room pressure, at 3.04 and 4.72?GPa. The bulk modulus of phosphate tetrahedron is about three times greater than the bulk modulus of calcium polyhedra. The values were 270(10), 100(4) and 86(3) GPa for P, Ca1 (nine-coordinated) and Ca2 (seven-coordinated) respectively. While the calcium polyhedra became more regular with pressure, the distortion of the phosphate tetrahedron remained unchanged. The size of the channel extending along the [001] direction represented the most compressible direction. The Ca2–Ca2 distance decreased from 3.982 to 3.897?Å on compression from 0.0001 to 4.72?GPa. The anisotropic compressional pattern may be understood in terms of the greater compressibility of the channel size over the polyhedral units. The reduction of the channel volume was measured by the evolution of the trigonal prism, having the Ca2–Ca2–Ca2 triangle as its base and the c lattice parameter as its height. This prism volume changed from 47.3?ų at room pressure to 44.78?ų at 4.72?GPa. Its relatively high bulk moduli, 86(3) GPa, indicated that the channel did not collapse with pressure and the apatite structure could remain stable at very high pressure.     

Elastic behavior of vanadinite,Pb<Subscript>10</Subscript>(VO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>6</Subscript>Cl<Subscript>2</Subscript>, a microporous non-zeolitic mineral

The high-pressure behavior of a vanadinite (Pb₁₀(VO₄)₆Cl₂, a = b = 10.3254(5), c = 7.3450(4) Å, space group P6₃/m), a natural microporous mineral, has been investigated using in-situ HP-synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction up to 7.67 GPa with a diamond anvil cell under hydrostatic conditions. No phase transition has been observed within the pressure range investigated. Axial and volume isothermal Equations of State (EoS) of vanadinite were determined. Fitting the P–V data with a third-order Birch-Murnaghan (BM) EoS, using the data weighted by the uncertainties in P and V, we obtained: V ₀ = 681(1) Å³, K ₀ = 41(5) GPa, and K′ = 12.5(2.5). The evolution of the lattice constants with P shows a strong anisotropic compression pattern. The axial bulk moduli were calculated with a third-order “linearized” BM-EoS. The EoS parameters are: a ₀ = 10.3302(2) Å, K ₀(a) = 35(2) GPa and K′(a) = 10(1) for the a-axis; c ₀ = 7.3520(3) Å, K ₀(c) = 98(4) GPa, and K′(c) = 9(2) for the c-axis (K ₀(a):K ₀(c) = 1:2.80). Axial and volume Eulerian-finite strain (fe) at different normalized stress (Fe) were calculated. The weighted linear regression through the data points yields the following intercept values: Fe _a (0) = 35(2) GPa for the a-axis, Fe _c (0) = 98(4) GPa for the c-axis and Fe _V (0) = 45(2) GPa for the unit-cell volume. The slope of the regression lines gives rise to K′ values of 10(1) for the a-axis, 9(2) for the c-axis and 11(1) for the unit cell-volume. A comparison between the HP-elastic response of vanadinite and the iso-structural apatite is carried out. The possible reasons of the elastic anisotropy are discussed.     

In situ high-temperature X-ray and neutron powder diffraction study of cation partitioning in synthetic Mg(Fe<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Al<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> spinel

The intra-crystalline cation partitioning over T- and M-sites in a synthetic Mg(Fe,Al)₂O₄ spinel sample has been determined as a function of temperature by Rietveld structure refinements from powder diffraction data, combining in situ high-temperature neutron powder diffraction (NPD; POLARIS diffractometer, at ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK), to determine the Mg and Al occupancy factors, with in situ high-temperature X-ray powder diffraction, to fix the Fe³⁺ distribution. The results obtained agree with a two-stage reaction, in which an initial exchange between Fe³⁺ and Mg, the former leaving and the latter entering tetrahedral sites, is successively followed by a rearrangement involving also Al. The measured cation distribution has then been compared and discussed with that calculated by the Maximum Configuration Entropy principle, for which only NPD patterns have been used. The cation partitioning has finally been interpreted in the light of the configuration model of O’Neill and Navrotsky.     

Stability of various hydrous phases in CMAS pyrolite-H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O system up to 25 GPa

 We carried out a series of melting experiments with hydrous primitive mantle compositions to determine the stability of dense hydrous phases under high pressures. Phase relations in the CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ pyrolite with ˜2 wt% of water have been determined in the pressure range of 10–25 GPa and in the temperature range between 800 and 1400 °C. We have found that phase E coexisting with olivine is stable at 10–12 GPa and below 1050 °C. Phase E coexisting with wadsleyite is stable at 14–16 GPa and below 900 °C. A superhydrous phase B is stable in pyrolite below 1100 °C at 18.5 GPa and below 1300 °C at 25 GPa. No hydrous phases other than wadsleyite are stable in pyrolite at 14–17 GPa and 900–1100 °C, suggesting a gap in the stability of dense hydrous magnesium silicates (DHMS). We detected an expansion in the stability field of wadsleyite to lower pressures (12 GPa and 1000 °C). The H₂O content of wadsleyite was found to decrease not only with increasing temperature but also with increasing pressure. The DHMS phases could exist in a pyrolitic composition only under the conditions present in the subducting slabs descending into the lower mantle. Under the normal mantle and hot plume conditions, wadsleyite and ringwoodite are the major H₂O-bearing phases. The top of the transition zone could be enriched in H₂O in accordance with the observed increase in water solubility in wadsleyite with decreasing pressure. As a consequence of the thermal equilibration between the subducting slabs and the ambient mantle, the uppermost lower mantle could be an important zone of dehydration, providing fluid for the rising plumes. Received: 9 September 2002 / Accepted: 11 January 2003 Acknowledgements The authors are thankful to Y. Ito for the assistance with the EPMA measurement, A. Suzuki, T. Kubo and T. Kondo for technical help with the high-pressure experiments and Raman and X-ray diffraction measurements and C.R. Menako for technical support. K. Litasov thanks H. Taniguchi for his continuous encouragement and the Center for Northeast Asian Studies of Tohoku University and the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science for the research fellowships. This work was partially supported by the Grant-in-Aid of Scientific Research of the Priority Area (B) of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sport, and Culture of the Japanese government (no. 12126201) to E. Ohtani.