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Melting of Fe–Ni–Si and Fe–Ni–S alloys at megabar pressures: implications for the core–mantle boundary temperature

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Abstract

High pressure melting behavior of three Fe-alloys containing 5 wt% Ni and (1) 10 wt% Si, (2) 15 wt% Si or (3) 12 wt% S was investigated up to megabar pressures by in situ X-ray diffraction and laser-heated diamond anvil cell techniques. We observe a decrease in melting temperature with increasing Si content over the entire investigated pressure range. This trend is used to discuss the melting curve of pure Fe. Moreover, our measurements of eutectic melting in the Fe–Fe3S system show a change in slope around 50 GPa concomitant with the fcc–hcp phase transition in pure solid iron. Extrapolations of our melting curve up to the core–mantle boundary pressure yield values of 3,600–3,750 K for the freezing temperature of plausible outer core compositions.

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Acknowledgments

GM acknowledges the SECHEL program of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (Grant ANR-07-BLAN-185577) and the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement No. 207467. The authors would like to thank the ESRF staff of the High Pressure Beamline ID27 (S. Bauchau) for the X-ray experiments. We would like also to thank G.Fiquet for fruitful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Minéralogie et de Physique des Milieux Condensés, UMR CNRS 7590, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005, Paris, France

    Guillaume Morard, Julien Siebert & Daniele Antonangeli

  2. Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, 63006, France

    Denis Andrault

  3. Synchrotron SOLEIL, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91192, France

    Nicolas Guignot

  4. European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, 38043, France

    Gaston Garbarino

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  1. Guillaume Morard
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  2. Denis Andrault
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  3. Nicolas Guignot
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  4. Julien Siebert
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  5. Gaston Garbarino
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  6. Daniele Antonangeli
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Correspondence to Guillaume Morard.

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Morard, G., Andrault, D., Guignot, N. et al. Melting of Fe–Ni–Si and Fe–Ni–S alloys at megabar pressures: implications for the core–mantle boundary temperature. Phys Chem Minerals 38, 767–776 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-011-0449-9

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