Origin of Fe3+ in Fe-containing, Al-free Mantle Silicate Perovskite

TL;DR

This study models the origin and concentration of Fe3+ in Al-free Mg-silicate perovskite under lower mantle conditions, revealing low Fe3+ levels in certain mantle regions and highlighting temperature effects on Fe3+ content.

Contribution

It introduces a thermodynamic model based on ab-initio calculations to predict Fe3+ concentrations in Mg-silicate perovskite considering oxidation and charge disproportionation reactions.

Findings

Fe3+/{ extSigma}Fe estimated at 0.01-0.07 in Al-free Mg-Pv

Volume reduction at spin transition causes minimum Fe3+/{ extSigma}Fe

Fe3+ content is highly temperature sensitive, affecting mantle heterogeneity properties

Abstract

We have studied the ferrous (Fe2+) and ferric (Fe3+) iron concentrations in Al-free Fe containing Mg-silicate perovskite (Mg-Pv) at pressure (P), temperature (T), and oxygen fugacity (fO2) conditions related to the lower mantle using a thermodynamic model based on ab-initio calculations. We consider the oxidation reaction and the charge disproportionation reaction, both of which can produce Fe3+ in Mg-Pv. The model shows qualitatively good agreement with available experimental data on Fe3+/{\Sigma}Fe ({\Sigma}Fe = total Fe in system), spin transitions, and equations of state. We predict that under lower-mantle conditions Fe3+/{\Sigma}Fe determined by the charge disproportionation is estimated to be 0.01-0.07 in Al-free Mg-Pv, suggesting that low Al Mg-Pv in the uppermost pyrolitic mantle (where majoritic garnet contains most of the Al) and in the harzburgitic heterogeneities throughout the lower mantle contains very little Fe3+. We find that the volume reduction by the spin transition of the B-site Fe3+ leads to a minimum Fe3+/{\Sigma}Fe in Mg-Pv at mid-mantle pressures. The model shows that configurational entropy is a key driving force to create Fe3+ and therefore Fe3+ content is highly temperature sensitive. The temperature sensitivity may lead to a maximum Fe3+/{\Sigma}Fe in Mg-Pv in warm regions at the core-mantle boundary region, such as Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs), potentially altering the physical (e.g., bulk modulus) and transport (e.g., thermal and electrical conductivities) properties of the heterogeneities.