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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions
Published on: June 13, 2015
Postperovskite phase equilibria in the MgSiO3-Al2O3 system
1Geodynamics Research Center, Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho 2-5, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan.
Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) in magnesium silicate (MgSiO3) slightly lowers the postperovskite transition pressure. This influences seismic discontinuities in Earth's deep mantle, particularly the D'' layer.
Area of Science:
- Geophysics
- Mineral Physics
- Computational Materials Science
Background:
- The MgSiO3-Al2O3 system is crucial for understanding deep mantle mineralogy.
- Previous studies overlooked the Rh2O3(II) phase, potentially limiting accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate high-pressure, high-temperature phase equilibria in the MgSiO3-Al2O3 system.
- To determine the influence of Al2O3 on MgSiO3 phase transitions and seismic properties.
Main Methods:
- Density functional theory (DFT) ab initio computations.
- Multiconfiguration sampling techniques.
- Phase equilibria calculations.
Main Results:
- Al2O3 dissolution decreases MgSiO3 postperovskite transition pressure slightly (-0.2 GPa/mol% Al2O3).
- A narrow perovskite+postperovskite coexistence region (approx. 1 GPa) at pyrolitic concentrations explains the D" seismic discontinuity.
- Wider transition smears (approx. 4 GPa) in Al-rich compositions remain seismically detectable.
Conclusions:
- Al2O3 incorporation influences deep mantle phase transitions and seismic signatures.
- The calculated phase boundaries align with observations of the D" seismic discontinuity.
- Spontaneous structural changes to Rh2O3(II)-like phases occur with increasing Al concentration.
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