Elasticity of an upper mantle clinopyroxene

Abstract 

The ambient pressure elastic properties of a natural clinopyroxene (C2/c symmetry) from Kilbourne Hole, NM have been determined. In terms of end-members, diopside (CaMgSi₂O₆), hedenbergite (CaFeSi₂O₆), jadeite (NaAlSi₂O₆), cosmochlor (NaCrSi₂O₆), and Mg-Tschermak (MgAl(AlSi)O₆), its composition is Di₇₂He₉Jd₃Cr₃Ts₁₂. The analytic density, based on chemistry and cell parameters is 3.327 (0.003) g/cm³. The elastic constants [c₁₁, c₁₂, c₁₃, c₁₅, c₂₂, c₂₃, c₂₅, c₃₃, c₃₅, c₄₄, c₄₆, c₅₅, c₆₆] are [273.8 (0.9), 83.5 (1.3), 80.0 (1.1), 9.0 (0.6), 183.6 (0.9), 59.9 (1.6), 9.5 (1.0), 229.5 (0.9), 48.1 (0.6), 76.5 (0.9), 8.4 (0.8), 73.0 (0.4), 81.6 (1.0)] GPa where uncertainties are reported at the 95% confidence level. The aggregate (mean of Hashin-Strikman bounds) adiabatic bulk modulus is 117.2 (0.7) GPa, and the shear modulus is 72.2 (0.2) GPa. Although measured moduli are broadly consistent with trends in elasticity versus atomic volume, deviations from the systematics would produce significant (percent level) changes in calculated velocities for candidate mantle mineral assemblages. The compositional dependence of elasticity for several clinopyroxenes is explored on the basis of just the Di+He and Jd+Ts mole fractions. The bulk modulus lies within experimental uncertainties of the linear mixture of end-member properties while the shear modulus deviates by 3%.