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Composition, chemical disorder, and magnetism significantly affect the volume and bulk modulus of iron–silicon (Fe–Si) alloys at ambient pressure. Here, we computed the equations of state for bcc-like (ordered B2 and disordered bcc) Fe–Si alloys available up to the inner-core pressure using the first-principles Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker method. Ferromagnetic (FM) and nonmagnetic (NM) states over a wide composition range, from Fe to FeSi, were investigated. The results revealed that magnetism and chemical disorder increased the volume and decreased the bulk modulus even at high pressures. Comparing the results with the preliminary reference Earth model, we found that an unrealistically large temperature gradient is required if the inner core is composed of a bcc-like Fe–Si alloy.

The crystallization of the magma ocean resulted in the present layered structure of the Earth’s mantle. An open question is the electronic spin state of iron in bridgmanite (the most abundant mineral on Earth) crystallized from a deep magma ocean, which has been neglected in the crystallization history of the entire magma ocean. Here, we performed energy-domain synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements on two bridgmanite samples synthesized at different pressures using the same starting material (Mg0.78Fe0.13Al0.11Si0.94O3). The obtained Mössbauer spectra showed no evidence of low-spin ferric iron (Fe3+) from the bridgmanite sample synthesized at relatively low pressure of 25 gigapascals, while that directly synthesized at a higher pressure of 80 gigapascals contained a relatively large amount. This difference ought to derive from the large kinetic barrier of Fe3+ rearranging from pseudo-dodecahedral to octahedral sites with the high-spin to low-spin transition in experiments. Our results indicate a certain amount of low-spin Fe3+ in the lower mantle bridgmanite crystallized from an ancient magma ocean. We therefore conclude that primordial bridgmanite with low-spin Fe3+ dominated the deeper part of an ancient lower mantle, which would contribute to lower mantle heterogeneity preservation and call for modification of the terrestrial mantle thermal evolution scenarios.

Thermal conductivity ($\kappa$) of mantle minerals is a fundamental property in geodynamic modeling. It controls the style of mantle convection and the time scale of the mantle and core cooling. Cubic CaSiO$_3$ perovskite (CaPv) is the third most abundant mineral in the lower mantle (LM) (7 vol%). However, despite its importance, no theoretical or experimental estimate of CaPv's $\kappa$ exists. Theoretical investigations of its properties are challenging because of its strong anharmonicity. Experimental measurements at relevant high pressures and temperatures are equally challenging. Here we present $ab$ $initio$ results for CaPv's $\kappa$ obtained using an established phonon quasiparticle approach that can address its strong anharmonicity. We also offer experimental measurements of $\kappa$. Predictions and measurements are in good agreement and reveal a surprisingly large $\kappa$ for cubic CaPv. Despite its relatively low abundance, CaPv's $\kappa$ might increase the lower mantle $\kappa$ by approximately 10%, if accounted for. $\kappa$ of mantle regions enriched in crust material will be more strongly impacted.

X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements, and first-principles calculations are performed to search for the formation of NaCl-hydrogen compound. When NaCl and H$_{2}$ mixture is laser-heated to above 1500 K at pressures exceeding 40 GPa, we observed the formation of NaClH$_{\textit{x}}$ with $\textit{P}$6$_{3}$/$\textit{mmc}$ structure which accommodates H$_{2}$ molecules in the interstitial sites of NaCl lattice forming ABAC stacking. Upon the decrease of pressure at 300 K, NaClH$_\textit{x}$ remains stable down to 17 GPa. Our calculations suggest the observed NaClH$_{\textit{x}}$ is NaCl(H$_{2}$). Besides, a hydrogen-richer phase NaCl(H$_{2}$)$_{4}$ is predicted to become stable at pressures above 40 GPa.

Thermal conductivity of bridgmanite (Bdg) is the important physical property controlling the heat transfer inside the Earth. Here we report room temperature lattice thermal conductivity of (Fe,Al)-bearing Bdg with chemical compositions of Mg0.848Fe0.090Al0.206Si0.856O3 and Mg0.718Fe0.123Al0.281Si0.878O3 measured up to 125 GPa and 74 GPa, respectively, using the pulsed light heating thermoreflectance technique in a diamond anvil cell. We found that the lattice thermal conductivity of these Bdg samples show abnormal reduction in the pressure range of 20-40 GPa at 300 K, which is probably due to the spin transition of Fe3+ in octahedral Si-site (B-site). We propose that the lattice thermal conductivity of Bdg is reduced by 46 ± 16% when Fe is in the mixed spin state, which may form a thermal insulating layer in the Earth's mid lower mantle. In addition, we provide a thermal conductivity model of Bdg, taking into account the effect of compositional difference and the spin transition of Fe. Our conductivity model indicates that the thermal conductivity of Bdg in the pyrolitic lower mantle is more than twice as high as that in the descending MORB, which is likely to create heterogeneity of lateral heat flux through the Earth's core-mantle boundary.

We measured the electrical resistivity of face-centered-cubic (fcc) structured iron hydrides at high pressures up to 65 GPa and high temperatures in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. The results indicate that the resistivity of stoichiometric fcc FeHx (x ∼ 1.0) is smaller than that of fcc Fe at the same pressure and temperature conditions. The same behavior was also observed in fcc FeNiHx (x ∼ 1.0). On the other hand, hydrogen-poor fcc FeHx (x

We measured the lattice thermal conductivities of Fe0.98O wustite and iron-rich (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowustite using the pulsed light heating thermoreflectance technique with a diamond anvil cell up to 61 GPa at 300 K. We found that the thermal conductivity of wustite does not show a monotonic increase as a function of pressure, contrary to that of MgO periclase. Rocksalt (B1) to rhombohedral B1 transition is likely to induce an abnormal pressure response in the conductivity of wustite. Our results also show that magnesiowustite has a lower conductivity than that of MgO and FeO endmembers due to a strong iron impurity effect, which is well reproduced by a model considering phonon-impurity scattering in a binary solid solution.

The electrical conductivity (EC) of minerals found on Earth and throughout the solar system is a fundamental transport property that is used to understand various dynamical phenomena in planetary interiors. High-pressure and high-temperature ( P–T) EC measurements are also an important tool for observing phase transitions. Impedance measurements can accurately measure the EC of a nonmetallic sample. In previous measurements under static conditions using a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell (LHDAC), only direct current resistance is measured, but this method overestimates the bulk sample resistance. Moreover, the previous methodology could only be applied to nontransparent samples in an LHDAC using infrared lasers, limiting the range of measurable composition. To the best of our knowledge, no in situ high- P–T EC measurements of transparent materials have been reported using LHDAC techniques. We developed a novel impedance measurement technique under high- P–T conditions in an LHDAC that applies to transparent samples. As a validation, we measured the EC of Mg0.9Fe0.1SiO3 bridgmanite up to 51 GPa and 2000 K and found that the results are consistent with those of previous studies. We also measured the EC values of sodium chloride to compare with those of previous studies, as well as those of cubic boron nitride and zirconia cement to quantify how well they insulate under high P–T conditions. This is the first report of the impedance and EC measurements of transparent minerals in an LHDAC, which allows the measurement of Fe-poor/-free materials, including the major constituents of the interiors of gas giants and icy planets, under extreme conditions.

Earth's surface environment is largely influenced by its budget of major volatile elements: carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and hydrogen (H). Although the volatiles on Earth are thought to have been delivered by chondritic materials, the elemental composition of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) shows depletion in the order of N, C, and H. Previous studies have concluded that non-chondritic materials are needed for this depletion pattern. Here, we model the evolution of the volatile abundances in the atmosphere, oceans, crust, mantle, and core through the accretion history by considering elemental partitioning and impact erosion. We show that the BSE depletion pattern can be reproduced from continuous accretion of chondritic bodies by the partitioning of C into the core and H storage in the magma ocean in the main accretion stage and atmospheric erosion of N in the late accretion stage. This scenario requires a relatively oxidized magma ocean ($\log_{10} f_{\rm O_2}$ $\gtrsim$ $\rm{IW}$$-2$, where $f_{\rm O_2}$ is the oxygen fugacity, ${\rm IW}$ is $\log_{10} f_{\rm O_2}^{\rm IW}$, and $f_{\rm O_2}^{\rm IW}$ is $f_{\rm O_2}$ at the iron-w\"{u}stite buffer), the dominance of small impactors in the late accretion, and the storage of H and C in oceanic water and carbonates in the late accretion stage, all of which are naturally expected from the formation of an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures (comprising 11 panels in total), 1 table, Methods, and Supplementary Information (available online: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-99240-w)

Determining the thermal conductivity of iron alloys at high pressures and temperatures are essential for understanding the thermal history and dynamics of the Earth's metallic cores. The authors summarize relevant high-pressure experiments using a diamond-anvil cell and discuss implications of high core conductivity for its thermal and compositional evolution.

The valence and spin states of Fe in (Fe,Al)-bearing bridgmanite (bdg) affect its physical properties, which is important for the interpretation of geophysical observations. Currently, tens of studies on the compressibility and spin states of Fe-bearing bdg have been reported. A consensus is that Fe-bearing bdg shows spin transition, which affects its elastic parameters. However, there is a conflict between reports on the compressibility and spin states of (Fe,Al)-bearing bdg in experiments using samples pre-synthesized in a multi-anvil apparatus (MA), and samples directly synthesized in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). There are no reports showing evidence of spin transition of Fe in compression experiments using (Fe,Al)-bearing bdg samples pre-synthesized in a MA, while those synthesized at relatively high pressure (at least above 45 GPa) in a DAC all exhibited the spin transition. Here, we performed synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements on Mg0.85Fe0.09Al0.21Si0.86O3 and Mg0.85Fe0.14Al0.05Si0.96O3 bdg synthesized at relatively high pressure in a laser-heated DAC from amorphous starting material up to 47 and 56 GPa, respectively, at room temperature. The obtained pressure (P)–lattice volume (V) relations show noticeable softening at 22–30 GPa and 35–45 GPa, respectively, which is probably due to the spin transition of Fe. Combining our results and previous reports, we suggest that the lower mantle bdg is capable of containing low-spin Fe3+, which questions the general view. Such a transition changes density and may affect the physical properties of bridgmanite such as thermal conductivity and iron partitioning coefficient, thus having profound implications for mantle dynamics, and the chemical composition of the Earth.

We examined the crystal structure of FeHX (X~1) (FeH hereafter) at high pressure and temperature by X-ray diffraction up to 137 GPa. Results show that FeH adopts a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure at pressures of 43 to 137 GPa and temperatures of ~1000 to 2000 K. Our study revises a phase diagram of stoichiometric FeH in which fcc has a wider-than-expected stability field at high pressure and temperature. Based on our findings, the FeH end-member of the Fe-FeH system is expected to be stable in the fcc structure at the P-T conditions of the Earth's core, rather than in the double-hexagonal close packed (dhcp) structure as previously reported. We compared the experimentally determined unit-cell volumes of FeH with those from ab initio calculations. Additionally, we observed a change in compressibility at ~60 GPa, which could be attributed to a magnetic transition—an interpretation supported by our ab initio computations.

By comparing the seismic wave velocity profile in the Earth with laboratory data of the sound velocity of iron alloys, we can infer the chemical composition of materials in the Earth’s core. The sound velocity of pure iron (Fe) has been sufficiently measured using various techniques, while experimental study on the sound velocity of iron–nickel (Fe–Ni) alloys is limited. Here, we measured longitudinal wave velocities of hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) structured Fe up to 29 GPa, Fe–5 wt% Ni, and Fe–15 wt% Ni up to 64 GPa via a combination of the femtosecond pulse laser pump–probe technique and a diamond anvil cell at room temperature condition. We found that the effect of Ni on the sound velocity of an Fe-based alloy is weaker than that determined by previous experimental study. In addition, we obtained the parameters of Birch’s law to be VP = 1146(57)ρ − 3638(567) for Fe–5 wt% Ni and VP = 1141(45)ρ− 3808(446) for Fe–15 wt% Ni, respectively, where VP is longitudinal wave velocity (m/s) and ρ is density (g/cm3).

Bridgmanite (Bdg), iron (Fe)- and aluminum (Al)-bearing magnesium silicate perovskite is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's lower mantle. Thus, its thermal conductivity governs the lower mantle thermal conductivity that critically controls the thermo-chemical evolution of both the core and the lower mantle. While there is extensive research for the lattice thermal conductivity of MgSiO3 Bdg, the effects of Fe and Al incorporation on its lattice thermal conduction are still controversial. Here we report the lattice thermal conductivity of Mg0.832Fe0.209Al0.060Si0.916O3 Bdg measured up to 142 GPa at 300 K using the pulsed light heating thermoreflectance technique in a diamond anvil cell. The results show that the lattice thermal conductivity of Bdg is 25.5 ± 2.2 W/m/K at 135 GPa and 300 K, which is 19% lower than that of Fe and Al-free Bdg at identical conditions. Considering the temperature effect on the lattice conductivity and the contribution of radiative thermal conductivity, the total thermal conductivity of Fe and Al-bearing Bdg does not change very much with temperature at 135 GPa, and could be higher than that of post-perovskite with identical chemical composition.

Cosmochemical and geochemical studies suggest sulfur (S) as a light alloying element in the iron-rich cores of telluric planets, but there is no report of sulfur's alloying effect on the electrical and thermal transport properties of iron (Fe); a subject that is closely related to the dynamo action and thermal evolution of planetary cores. We measured the electrical resistivity of hexagonal-closed-packed (hcp) structured Fe alloy containing 3 wt.% silicon (Si) and 3 wt.% S up to 110 GPa at 300 K. Combined with the reported resistivities of hcp Fe and hcp Fe-Si alloy, we determined the impurity resistivity of S in a hcp Fe matrix at high pressures. The obtained impurity resistivity of S is found to be smaller than that of Si. Therefore, S is a weaker influence on the conductivity of Fe alloy, even if S is a major light element in the planetary cores.

Polyhydrides of alkali metals under high pressures have been attracting great interests owing to the predicted pressure-stabilized untraditional stoichiometries and potential superconductivity. We have performed Raman scattering measurements of lithium polyhydrides synthesized under high pressure and high temperature conditions up to 182 GPa. Between 30 and 180 GPa, four phases appear, and they are tentatively named α (30–140 GPa), β (30–90 GPa), γ (90–140 GPa), and δ (140 GPa) phase. By observing the H2 vibrons at higher wavenumbers than pure H2 and their pressure dependence, it was revealed that the α phase contains electrically neutral H2 in its crystal lattice without electron transfer from Li atoms. The comparisons with H2-containing rare gas compounds Ar(H2)2, Kr(H2)4, and Xe(H2)8 suggest that a H2 molecule is surrounded by six to eight neighboring H2 molecules in the α phase. On the other hand, the Raman spectra of the β, γ, and δ phases suggest that they contain the elongated H2 that is negatively charged by the electron transferred from the surrounding matrices. All the α, β, γ, and δ phases were found to remain transparent insulators at pressures below 182 GPa. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

(Mg, Fe)O ferropericlase (Fp) is one of the important minerals comprising Earth's lower mantle, and its thermal conductivity could be strongly influenced by the iron content and its spin state. We examined the lattice thermal conductivity of (Mg, Fe)O Fp containing 19 mol% iron up to 111 GPa and 300 K by means of the pulsed light heating thermoreflectance technique in a diamond anvil cell. We confirmed a strong reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity of Fp due to iron substitution as reported in previous studies. Our results also show that iron spin crossover in Fp reduces its lattice thermal conductivity as well as its radiative conduction. We also measured the electrical conductivity of an identical Fp sample up to 140 GPa and 2730 K, and found that Fp remained an insulator throughout the experimental conditions, indicating the electronic thermal conduction in Fp is negligible. Because of the effects of strong iron impurity scattering and spin crossover, the total thermal conductivity of Fp at the core–mantle boundary conditions is much smaller than that of bridgmanite (Bdg). Our findings indicate that Bdg (and post-perovskite) is the best heat conductor in the Earth's lower mantle, and distribution of iron and its valence state among the lower mantle minerals are key factors to control the lower mantle thermal conductivity.

By combining thermoreflectance measurements and laser heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) techniques, an instrument for the measurement of in situ high pressure-temperature thermal diffusivity of materials was developed. In an LHDAC system, high-power continuous-wave laser beams irradiate both faces of a disk-shaped metal sample loaded into diamond anvil cells (DACs), to maintain a stable high-temperature condition. During the operation of the LHDAC system, temperature of the sample is determined from the thermal radiation spectrum between 640 and 740 nm to fit Planck's law. Subsequently, a pulsed laser beam irradiates the metal disk to induce a temperature gradient inside the sample, and the transient temperature, caused by heat diffusion, is measured by a continuous wave probe laser based on the thermoreflectance phenomenon. We determined the thermal conductivities of Pt and Fe up to approximately 60 GPa and 2000 K using the measured thermal diffusivities and obtained values consistent with previous works. The uncertainties in the pressure and the temperature are estimated to be approximately 10%, and that in the thermal conductivity is estimated to approximately 15%. The system developed in this study enables us to determine thermal transport properties of materials under pressure-temperature conditions of the deep Earth.

We examined the compression behavior of hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) (Fe0.88Si0.12)1H0.61 and (Fe0.88Si0.12)1H0.79 (in atomic ratio) alloys up to 138 GPa in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). While contradicting experimental results were previously reported on the compression curve of double-hcp (dhcp) FeHx (x ≈ 1), our data show that the compressibility of hcp Fe0.88Si0.12Hx alloys is very similar to those of hcp Fe and Fe0.88Si0.12, indicating that the incorporation of hydrogen into iron does not change its compression behavior remarkably. The present experiments suggest that the inner core may contain up to 0.47 wt % hydrogen (FeH0.26) if temperature is 5000 K. The calculated density profile of Fe0.88Si0.12H0.17 alloy containing 0.32 wt % hydrogen in addition to geochemically required 6.5 wt % silicon matches the seismological observations of the outer core, supporting that hydrogen is an important core light element.

Semiconductor-based heaters for diamond anvil cells (DACs) have advantages over metal wire heaters in terms of repeated use and the ability to reach higher temperatures. We introduce a cylindrical SiC heater for an externally heated DAC (EHDAC) that works satisfactorily at temperatures up to 1500 K and pressures around 90 GPa. The heater is reusable and inexpensive, and only slight modifications to the DAC are required to fit the heater. Experiments on melting of NaCl and gold are conducted at ambient pressure to test the temperature accuracy of the EHDAC system, and resistance measurements on iodine at high pressures and temperatures are performed to assess the heater assembly. These test runs show that a uniform and accurate temperature can be maintained by the EHDAC assembly, which has potential applications to a variety of transport property measurements.

The thermal conductivity of post-perovskite (ppv), the highest-pressure polymorph of MgSiO3 in the Earth's mantle, is one of the most important transport properties for providing better constraints on the temperature profile and dynamics at the core-mantle boundary (CMB). Incorporation of Fe into ppv can affect its conductivity, which has never been experimentally investigated. Here we determined the lattice thermal conductivities of ppv containing 3 mol% and 10 mol% of Fe at high P-T conditions – of pressures up to 149 GPa and 177 GPa, respectively, and temperatures up to 1560 K – by means of the recently developed pulsed light heating thermoreflectance technique combining continuous wave heating lasers. We found that the incorporation of Fe into ppv moderately reduces its lattice thermal conductivity as it increases the Fe content. The bulk conductivity of ppv dominant pyrolite is estimated as 1.5 times higher than that of pyrolite consisting of bridgmanite and ferropericlase in the lower mantle, which agrees with the traditional view that ppv acts as a better heat conductor than bridgmanite in the Earth's lowermost mantle.

Three-dimensional (3D) visualization of a material under pressure can provide a great deal of information about its physical and chemical properties. We developed a technique combining in-house x-ray computed tomography (XCT) and a diamond anvil cell to observe the 3D geometry of a sample in situ at high pressure with a spatial resolution of about 610 nm. We realized observations of the 3D morphology and its evolution in minerals up to a pressure of 55.6 GPa, which is comparable to the pressure conditions reported in a previous synchrotron XCT study. The new technique developed here can be applied to a variety of materials under high pressures and has the potential to provide new insights for high-pressure science and technology.

Electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of iron (Fe)-light element alloys at high pressure and temperature are key parameters to constrain the dynamics and thermal evolution of the Earth's core. We determined the electrical resistivity of hcp Fe-2, 4 and 6.5 wt.% silicon (Si) alloys up to 117 GPa and 3120 K using a four-terminal method in an internally heated diamond-anvil cell. The temperature dependence of electrical resistivity of hcp Fe-Si alloys was suppressed as both Si concentration and temperature increased, which indicates the resistivity saturation phenomenon: the electrical resistivity of metal asymptotically approaches the “saturation resistivity”. Our results are fully reproduced by a highly resistive saturation model, and the obtained saturation resistivities for hcp Fe-Si alloys are comparable to those for hcp pure Fe at around 100 GPa. If Si is a major light element in the Earth's core, the pure Fe like saturation resistivity would keep the core conductivity high enough to induce active dynamics there and rapid growth of the inner core.

The Schumann resonance phenomenon has been monitored at Nakatsugawa (near Nagoya) in Japan since the beginning of 1999, and due to the occurance of a severe earthquake (so-called Chi-chi earthquake) on 21 September 1999 in Taiwan we have examined our Schumann resonance data at Nakatsugawa during the entire year of 1999. We have found a very anomalous effect in the Schumann resonance, possibly associated with two large land earthquakes (one is the Chi-chi earthquake and another one on 2 November 1999 (Chia-yi earthquake) with a magnitude again greater than 6.0). Conspicuous effects are observed for the larger Chi-chi earthquake, so that we summarize the characteristics for this event. The anomaly is characterized mainly by the unusual increase in amplitude of the fourth Schumann resonance mode and a significant frequency shift of its peak frequency (~1.0Hz) from the conventional value on the By magnetic field component which is sensitive to the waves propagating in the NS meridian plane. Anomalous Schumann resonance signals appeared from about one week to a few days before the main shock. Secondly, the goniometric estimation of the arrival angle of the anomalous signal is found to coincide with the Taiwan azimuth (the unresolved dual direction indicates toward South America). Also, the pulsed signals, such as the Q-bursts, were simultaneously observed with the "carrier" frequency around the peak frequency of the fourth Schumann resonance mode. The anomaly for the second event for the Chia-yi earthquake on 2 November had much in common. But, most likely due to a small magnitude, the anomaly appears one day before and lasts until one day after the main shock, with the enhancement at the fourth Schumann resonance mode being smaller in amplitude than the case of the Chi-chi earthquake. Yet, the other characteristics, including the goniometric direction finding result, frequency shift, etc., are nearly the same. Although the emphasis of the present study is made on experimental aspects, a possible generation mechanism for this anomaly is discussed in terms of the ELF radio wave scattered by a conducting disturbance, which is likely to take place in the middle atmosphere over Taiwan. Model computations show that the South American thunderstorms (Amazon basin) play the leading role in maintaining radio signals, leading to the anomaly in the Schumann resonance.

We report the first laser heating experiments on Li in hydrogen at high pressures. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements suggest the possible formation of polyhydride (temporary named LiH-II) that is considered to contain H molecules in its crystal lattice. LiH-II was found to be a transparent insulator at pressures below 62 GPa.

The pressure response of lattice thermal conduction in MgO periclase has been a matter of interest for many decades to estimate the thermal conductivity profile of the lower mantle. Using the pulsed light heating thermoreflectance technique, we measured the lattice thermal diffusivity of MgO at pressures up to 137 GPa at 300 K to determine its lattice thermal conductivity under deep lower mantle conditions. Considering the temperature effect estimated by previous high-temperature measurements, we calculated the lattice part of the thermal conductivity of MgO to be 17.9 ± 1.1 W/m/K at 135 GPa and 3600 K. Additionally, we observed that the lattice conductivity of MgO has little dependence on its grain size under core-mantle boundary conditions.

It has been repeatedly suggested that an iron-rich oxide might accumulate on the Earth's core-mantle boundary by various processes. Recent studies showed that FeO with a rock salt (B1)-type structure undergoes pressure- and temperature-induced metallization at the Earth's lower mantle conditions. This implies similar metallization or decomposition of the lower mantle phase, (Mg,Fe)O, under high pressure-temperature conditions. We performed simultaneous X-ray diffraction and electrical conductivity measurements on (Mg0.20Fe0.80)O and (Mg0.05Fe0.95)O magnesiowustites up to 140 GPa and 2100 K, and we examined recovered samples by means of an analytical transmission electron microscope. The experiments revealed very high electrical conductivity of the magnesiowustite samples and their minimal temperature dependence above 85 GPa and 1300 K, yet the samples remained insulators. We also found decomposition of (Mg0.05Fe0.95)O into almost pure FeO and iron-rich (Mg,Fe)O due to metallization of the FeO component, while such a reaction was not observed in (Mg0.20Fe0.80)O. The observed high electrical conductivity and decomposition of iron-rich (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowustite could enhance the heterogeneities in the electrical and thermal conductivity at the Earth's core-mantle boundary region.

Thermal diffusivities of MgSiO 3 perovskite (MgPv) and MgSiO 3 perovskite containing 2 wt% Al 2 O 3 (Al-MgPv) were measured at ambient conditions using the micro-spot heating angstrom method. The obtained values of thermal diffusivities of MgPv and Al-MgPv are 2.6 ± 0.1 and 2.4 ± 0.1 mm 2 /s, respectively. Present result for MgPv is much higher than previously reported value of 1.7 mm 2 /s. Substitution of aluminum into MgPv has little effect on its thermal diffusivity at ambient conditions, and such an impurity effect would remain insignificant at high pressures and high temperatures corresponding to the Earth’s lower mantle.

We measured the electrical resistivity of iron and iron-silicon alloy to 100 GPa. The resistivity of iron was also calculated to core pressures. Combined with the first geophysical model accounting for saturation resistivity of core metal, the present results show that the thermal conductivity of the outermost core is greater than 90 W/m/K. These values are significantly higher than conventional estimates, implying rapid secular core cooling, an inner core younger than 1 Ga, and ubiquitous melting of the lowermost mantle during the early Earth. An enhanced conductivity with depth suppresses convection in the deep core, such that its center may have been stably stratified prior to the onset of inner core crystallization. A present heat flow in excess of 10 TW is likely required to explain the observed dynamo characteristics.