Kawamoto (2016, American Mineralogist) (FeH)1-xTixO2: a new water carrier to the mantle transition zone (original) (raw)

It is now widely accepted that Earth’s transition zone, located at depth between 410 km to 670 km is most likely hydrated. However, a definite conclusion has yet to be reached regarding the nature of the hydrous phase or phases that have the capacity to efficiently transport water down to such depths. In their study, Nishihara and Matsukage ( Am Mineral, 2016, April issue) show that (FeH)1-xTixO2 can be stable in wet basalts and sediments in high pressure and high temperature conditions. These phases allow the subducting lithosphere to transport far more water to the mantle transition zone than previously thought possible.