P-wave velocities of main upper mantle minerals at high temperature and high pressure and its geological implication

At 0 - 5.0GPa and room temperature to 1400℃, the P-wave velocities of olivine, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene, which are three common minerals from upper mantle, are measured under both simulated oceanic and continental geothermal gradients. The experimental results indicate that the P-wave velocities of these minerals increase with depth under both geothermal gradients. This implicates that pressure is more important than temperature in deep earth in controlling the P-wave velocities of mantle minerals, but the increase of temperature has greater effect on P-wave velocities of main mantle minerals at greater depth than at smaller depth. At low pressure, the measured P-wave velocities of mantle minerals are smaller than their true values due to fracturing, compaction process and recrystallization of mineral powder. The true P-wave velocities of mantle minerals can be obtained at lower pressure by the extrapolation of measured velocities at a high pressure. At higher depth, all these three minerals

At 0 - 5.0GPa and room temperature to 1400℃, the P-wave velocities of olivine, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene, which are three common minerals from upper mantle, are measured under both simulated oceanic and continental geothermal gradients. The experimental results indicate that the P-wave velocities of these minerals increase with depth under both geothermal gradients. This implicates that pressure is more important than temperature in deep earth in controlling the P-wave velocities of mantle minerals, but the increase of temperature has greater effect on P-wave velocities of main mantle minerals at greater depth than at smaller depth. At low pressure, the measured P-wave velocities of mantle minerals are smaller than their true values due to fracturing, compaction process and recrystallization of mineral powder. The true P-wave velocities of mantle minerals can be obtained at lower pressure by the extrapolation of measured velocities at a high pressure. At higher depth, all these three minerals show local decreases of velocities at their Vp-D curves, which may be related to phase transformation, softening effect and melting effect of minerals. The depth range of the local velocity decreases of these minerals is nearly consistent with that of low velocity zone (LVZ) in North China and can explain the origin of LVZ in this area.