Relations of electrical conductivity to physical conditions within the asthenosphere

This paper examines the constraint placed by electrical conductivity on physical conditions existing within the mantle. Determination of bulk electrical conductivities of multiphase materials from knowledge of individual phase conductivities and their relative fractions is discussed in the light of recent studies of the equilibrium phase geometries of partial melts. It is concluded that existing models which are based on assumed geometries offer little refinement over Hashin-Shtrikman variational bounds. The possible effects of the gravitational field on phase geometry in partial melts and the resulting conductivity anisotropy are considered. At this time it appears that minimum melt fractions can be safely estimated from a knowledge of Earth conductivity combined with laboratory data on melt and crystalline conductivities and the Hashin-Shtrikman upper bound. The question of whether or not the asthenosphere corresponds to a zone of partial melting is also addressed.