Aluminum and Iron Effects on the Electrical Conductivity of the Dense Hydrous Magnesium Silicate Phase E

Abstract

The electrical conductivity of pure and Al/Fe-bearing phase E was measured up to 950 K at 15 GPa using a complex impedance spectroscopy. Pure phase E shows comparable conductivity to that of phase D, and a few orders of magnitude higher than that of phase A and super-hydrous phase B. Al-bearing phase E does not exhibit a conductivity difference, while a certain amount of incorporated Fe prominently increases its electrical conductivity by a factor of 4. Unlike the sole substitution 2Al³⁺→Mg²⁺+Si⁴⁺ in phase D and H, H⁺ is likely involved in the substitution. Proton conduction is the dominant conduction mechanism, while small polaron conduction becomes dominant with increasing Fe content. Phase E in subducted slabs at depth of the upper transition zone cannot explain the high electrical conductivity anomalies beneath the Philippine Sea or Northeast China. Other mechanisms such as dehydration of hydrous minerals is needed to account for them.