Kinetic studies of the high pressure transformation of natural olivine under subduction zone conditions
FP4 — Training and Mobility of Researchers
- Duration
- 1996-08-01 → 1998-03-31
- EU contribution
- —
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- RGI
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.
Project objective
The olivine-spinel transformation in the Earth's mantle is believed to have an important effect on the dynamics of subduction. It is possible that under P-T conditions of subducting slabs the transformation is kinetically inhibited. The possible metastable persistance of olivine to depths far below 400 km (which is a critical requirement in current models of deep-focus earthquakes) will be tested by determining the transformation kinetics experimentally . Samples of mantle olivine are partially reacted at various P-T conditions (e.g. 18 GPa, 10000C) using a multianvil press. The microstructures of partially-reacted samples are characterised using optical and transmission electron microscopy. The time-dependence of the microtextures enables rates of nucleation and growth to be estimated as a function of P and T. Using appropriate kinetic rate equations, combined with thermal models, the experimental data will be used to quantify the depth of the olivine-spinel transformation in subduction zones.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union