Carbonatite Melts and Electrical Conductivity in the Asthenosphere

Electrically conductive regions in Earth's mantle have been interpreted to reflect the presence of either silicate melt or water dissolved in olivine. On the basis of laboratory measurements, we show that molten carbonates have electrical conductivities that are three orders of magnitude higher...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2008-11, Vol.322 (5906), p.1363-1365
Main Authors: Gaillard, Fabrice, Malki, Mohammed, Iacono-Marziano, Giada, Pichavant, Michel, Scaillet, Bruno
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asthenosphere
Basalt
Carbonates
Conductivity
Crystalline rocks
Earth
Earth Sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Electrical resistivity
Environmental Sciences
Exact sciences and technology
Experimental petrology
Geochemistry
Geophysics: general, magnetic, electric and thermic methods and properties
Global Changes
Internal geophysics
Mantle
Marine
Melting
Minerals
Olivine
Sciences of the Universe
Silicates
Volcanology
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Summary:Electrically conductive regions in Earth's mantle have been interpreted to reflect the presence of either silicate melt or water dissolved in olivine. On the basis of laboratory measurements, we show that molten carbonates have electrical conductivities that are three orders of magnitude higher than those of molten silicate and five orders of magnitude higher than those of hydrated olivine. High conductivities in the asthenosphere probably indicate the presence of small amounts of carbonate melt in peridotite and can therefore be interpreted in terms of carbon concentration in the upper mantle. We show that the conductivity of the oceanic asthenosphere can be explained by 0.1 volume percent of carbonatite melts on average, which agrees with the carbon dioxide content of mid-ocean ridge basalts.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1164446