Phase transitions of α-quartz at elevated temperatures under dynamic compression using a membrane-driven diamond anvil cell: Clues to impact cratering?

Coesite and stishovite are high-pressure silica polymorphs known to have been formed at several terrestrial impact structures. They have been used to assess pressure and temperature conditions that deviate from equilibrium formation conditions. Here we investigate the effects of nonhydrostatic, dynamic stresses on the formation of high-pressure polymorphs and the amorphization of α-quartz at elevated temperatures. The obtained disequilibrium states are compared with those predicted by phase diagrams derived from static experiments under equilibrium conditions. We analyzed phase transformations starting with α-quartz in situ under dynamic loading utilizing a membrane-driven diamond anvil cell. Using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction, the phase transitions of SiO₂ are identified up to 77.2 GPa and temperatures of 1160 K at compression rates ranging between 0.10 and 0.37 GPa s⁻¹. Coesite starts forming above 760 K in the pressure range between 2 and 11 GPa. At 1000 K, coesite starts to transform to stishovite. This phase transition is not completed at 1160 K in the same pressure range. Therefore, the temperature initiates the phase transition from α-quartz to coesite, and the transition from coesite to stishovite. Below 1000 K and during compression, α-quartz becomes amorphous and partially converts to stishovite. This phase transition occurs between 25 and 35 GPa. Above 1000 K, no amorphization of α-quartz is observed. High temperature experiments reveal the strong thermal dependence of the formation of coesite and stishovite under nonhydrostatic and disequilibrium conditions.     

On the crystal structure and compressional behavior of talc: a mineral of interest in petrology and material science

The crystal structure of a natural triclinic talc (1Tc polytype) [with composition: (Mg_2.93Fe_0.06)_Σ2.99(Al_0.02Si_3.97)_Σ3.99O₁₀(OH)_2.10] has been investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 223 and 170 K and by single-crystal neutron diffraction at 20 K. Both the anisotropic X-ray refinements (i.e. at 223 and 170 K) show that the two independent tetrahedra are only slightly distorted. For the two independent Mg-octahedra, the bond distances between cation-hydroxyl groups are significantly shorter than the others. The ditrigonal rotation angle of the six-membered ring of tetrahedra is modest (α ~ 4°). The neutron structure refinement shows that the hydrogen-bonding scheme in talc consists of one donor site and three acceptors (i.e. trifurcated configuration), all the bonds having O···O ≤ 3.38 Å, H···O ~ 2.8 Å, and O–H···O ~ 111–116°. The three acceptors belong to the six-membered ring of tetrahedra juxtaposed to the octahedral sheet. The vibrational regime of the proton site appears being only slightly anisotropic. The elastic behavior of talc was investigated by means of in situ synchrotron single-crystal diffraction up to 16 GPa (at room temperature) using a diamond anvil cell. No evidence of phase transition has been observed within the pressure range investigated. P–V data fit, with an isothermal third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, results as follows: V ₀ = 454.7(10) Å³, K _T0 = 56(3) GPa, and K′ = 5.4(7). The “Eulerian finite strain” versus “normalized stress” plot yields: Fe(0) = 56(2) GPa and K′ = 5.3(5). The compressional behavior of talc is strongly anisotropic, as reflected by the axial compressibilities (i.e. β(a):β(b):β(c) = 1.03:1:3.15) as well as by the magnitude and orientation of the unit-strain ellipsoid (with ε ₁:ε ₂:ε ₃ = 1:1.37:3.21). A comparison between the elastic parameters of talc obtained in this study with those previously reported is carried out.     

High-pressure structural studies of Li x La1/3NbO3 (x = 1/6, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3)

The high-pressure behavior of Li _x La_1/3NbO₃ (x = 1/6, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3) perovskites where Li cations were substituted for the existing vacancies was studied using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. It was shown that all these materials undergo irreversible pressure-induced amorphization around 14.5 GPa regardless of the Li concentration. The Li-inserted materials were found to exhibit a standard pressure response (bulk modulus pressure derivative B ₀′ ~4) when in the crystalline phase, whereas La_1/3NbO₃ shows a linear volume contraction versus pressure, i.e., B ₀′ ~(?1). These results suggest that the structural collapse is not a consequence of cation disorder resulting from the Nb atoms (B-site) migrating to the A-site vacancies. The observed pressure response can be understood by increased occupancy of the A-sites opposing the tilting of the NbO₆ octahedra. The pressure evolution of the Nb oxidation state is discussed.     

The thermoelastic behavior of clintonite up to 10?GPa and 1,000°C

The thermoelastic behavior of a natural clintonite-1M [with composition: Ca_1.01(Mg_2.29Al_0.59Fe_0.12)_Σ3.00(Si_1.20Al_2.80)_Σ4.00O₁₀(OH)₂] has been investigated up to 10 GPa (at room temperature) and up to 960°C (at room pressure) by means of in situ synchrotron single-crystal and powder diffraction, respectively. No evidence of phase transition has been observed within the pressure and temperature range investigated. P–V data fitted with an isothermal third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (BM-EoS) give V ₀ = 457.1(2) ?³, K _T0 = 76(3)GPa, and K′ = 10.6(15). The evolution of the “Eulerian finite strain” versus “normalized stress” shows a linear positive trend. The linear regression yields Fe(0) = 76(3) GPa as intercept value, and the slope of the regression line leads to a K′ value of 10.6(8). The evolution of the lattice parameters with pressure is significantly anisotropic [β(a) = 1/3K _T0(a) = 0.0023(1) GPa⁻¹; β(b) = 1/3K _T0(b) = 0.0018(1) GPa⁻¹; β(c) = 1/K _T0(c) = 0.0072(3) GPa⁻¹]. The β-angle increases in response to the applied P, with: β_P = β₀ + 0.033(4)P (P in GPa). The structure refinements of clintonite up to 10.1 GPa show that, under hydrostatic pressure, the structure rearranges by compressing mainly isotropically the inter-layer Ca-polyhedron. The bulk modulus of the Ca-polyhedron, described using a second-order BM-EoS, is K _T0(Ca-polyhedron) = 41(2) GPa. The compression of the bond distances between calcium and the basal oxygens of the tetrahedral sheet leads, in turn, to an increase in the ditrigonal distortion of the tetrahedral ring, with ∂α/∂P ≈ 0.1°/GPa within the P-range investigated. The Mg-rich octahedra appear to compress in response to the applied pressure, whereas the tetrahedron appears to behave as a rigid unit. The evolution of axial and volume thermal expansion coefficient α with temperature was described by the polynomial α(T) = α₀ + α₁ T ^−1/2. The refined parameters for clintonite are as follows: α₀ = 2.78(4) 10⁻⁵°C⁻¹ and α₁ = −4.4(6) 10⁻⁵°C^1/2 for the unit-cell volume; α₀(a) = 1.01(2) 10⁻⁵°C⁻¹ and α₁(a) = −1.8(3) 10⁻⁵°C^1/2 for the a-axis; α₀(b) = 1.07(1) 10⁻⁵°C⁻¹ and α₁(b) = −2.3(2) 10⁻⁵°C^1/2 for the b-axis; and α₀(c) = 0.64(2) 10⁻⁵°C⁻¹ and α₁(c) = −7.3(30) 10⁻⁶°C^1/2for the c-axis. The β-angle appears to be almost constant within the given T-range. No structure collapsing in response to the T-induced dehydroxylation was found up to 960°C. The HP- and HT-data of this study show that in clintonite, the most and the less expandable directions do not correspond to the most and the less compressible directions, respectively. A comparison between the thermoelastic parameters of clintonite and those of true micas was carried out.     

Fe isotopic fractionation during mineral dissolution with and without bacteria

Fe released into solution is isotopically lighter (enriched in the lighter isotope) than hornblende starting material when dissolution occurs in the presence of the siderophore desferrioxamine mesylate (DFAM). In contrast, Fe released from goethite dissolving in the presence of DFAM is isotopically unchanged. Furthermore, Δ⁵⁶Fe_{solution-hornblende} for Fe released to solution in the presence of ligands varies with the affinity of the ligand for Fe. The extent of isotopic fractionation of Fe released from hornblende also increases when experiments are agitated continuously. The Fe isotope fractionation observed during hornblende dissolution with organic ligands is attributed predominantly to retention of ⁵⁶Fe in an altered surface layer, while the lack of isotopic fractionation during goethite dissolution in DFAM is consistent with the lack of an altered layer. When a siderophore-producing soil bacterium is added to the system (without added organic ligands), Fe released to solution from both hornblende and goethite differs isotopically from Fe in the bulk mineral: Δ⁵⁶Fe_{solution-starting material} = −0.56 ± 0.19 (hornblende) and −1.44 ± 0.16 (goethite). Increased isotopic fractionation is attributed in this case to the fact that as bacterial respiration depletes the system in oxygen and aqueous Fe is reduced, equilibration between aqueous ferrous and ferric iron creates a pool of isotopically heavy ferric iron that is assimilated by bacterial cells. Adsorption of isotopically heavy ferrous iron (Fe(II) enriched in the heavier isotope) or precipitation of isotopically heavy Fe minerals may also contribute to observed fractionations.To test whether these Fe isotope signatures are recorded in natural systems, we also investigated extractions of samples of soils from which the bacteria were isolated. These extractions show variability in the isotopic signatures of exchangeable Fe and Fe oxyhydroxide fractions from one soil sample to another, but exchangeable Fe is observed to be lighter than Fe in soil Fe oxyhydroxides and hornblende. This observation is consistent with isotopically light Fe-organic complexes in soil pore water derived from the Fe-silicate starting materials in the presence of growing microorganisms, as documented in experiments reported here. The contributions from phenomena including organic ligand-promoted nonstoichiometric dissolution of Fe silicates, uptake of ferric iron by organisms, adsorption of isotopically heavy ferrous iron, and precipitation of iron minerals should create complex isotopic signatures in soils. Better understanding of these processes and the timescales over which they contribute to fractionation is needed.