Constraints on the Nature of Terrestrial Core-Forming Melts: Ultra-High Pressure Transport Property Measurements and X-Ray Computed Tomography Final Report
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان:
Constraints on the Nature of Terrestrial Core-Forming Melts: Ultra-High Pressure Transport Property Measurements and X-Ray Computed Tomography Final Report
A key issue in models of planetary core formation is the interconnectness and potential percolation of iron-sulfide melts in contact with silicates at high temperature and pressure. To address this issue an integrated study of the electrical conductivity-texture-permeability relationships of olivine-sulfide partial-melt samples was performed. This work has application to the interpretation of high conductivity zones in the Earth as revealed by electromagnetic studies and to the origin and development of the Earth's core. The project consisted of three main tasks. (1) Synthesis and characterization of olivine-sulfide partial-melts. (2) Electrical conductivity measurements of the partial-melt and the individual melt and crystalline phases. (3) X-ray microtomographic determination of the 3-D structure and interconnectedness of the melt phase. The results are used to determine a model of permeability of a partially molten solid that incorporates the melt distribution, a goal that has never before been achieved. Material synthesis was accomplished in the piston cylinder apparatus and electrical conductivity measurements were performed at one atmosphere. X-ray computed tomography was performed on recovered samples at the ALS. This work makes use of and further enhances LLNL's strengths in high-pressure material properties, x-ray micro- and nanoscale imaging and development of transport theory.
