HR: 0830h
AN: S21E-0371    [PDF]
TI: Insights on the thermochemical state of the lower mantle
AU: Wentzcovitch, R M
EM: wentzcov@cems.umn.edu
AF: Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Minnesota Supercomputer Institute, 421 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
AB: The thermochemical state of the lower mantle is still a underdetermined problem. The increasing availability of first principles results on partitioning coefficients and thermoelastic properties is helping to reduce the number of independent unknowns and to improve the accuracy of predicted aggregate properties at pertinent conditions. In a first step, the information contained in seismic models should be interpreted in light of mineral physics results. In a second step, the outcome should be tested against constrained inferences and observables. We report here some steps taken in this direction. The procedure is based on a comparison between results from 1D seismic models and calculated thermoelastic properties of multi-component systems in thermal equilibrium. Presently the analysis is restricted primarily to systems with three components and two phases only ((Mg,Fe)O and (Mg,Fe)SiO3-perovskite) for which detailed first principles thermoelastic properties are available.
DE: 3909 Elasticity and anelasticity
DE: 3919 Equations of state
DE: 3924 High-pressure behavior
DE: 3939 Physical thermodynamics
DE: 3999 General or miscellaneous
SC: Seismology [S]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting