Elasticity of single-crystal Fe-enriched diopside at high-pressure conditions; implications for the origin of upper mantle low-velocity zones

Diopside is one of the most important end-members of clinopyroxene, which is an abundant mineral in upper-mantle petrologic models. The amount of clinopyroxene in upper-mantle pyrolite can be approximately 15 vol%, while pyroxenite can contain as high as approximately 60 vol% clinopyroxene. Knowing the elastic properties of the upper-mantle diopside at high pressure-temperature conditions is essential for constraining the chemical composition and interpreting seismic observations of region. Here we have measured the single-crystal elasticity of Fe-enriched diopside (Di (sub 80) Hd (sub 20) , Di-diopside, and Hd-hedenbergite; also called Fe-enriched clinopyroxene) at high-pressure conditions up to 18.5 GPa by using in situ Brillouin light-scattering spectroscopy (BLS) and synchrotron X-ray diffraction in a diamond-anvil cell. Our experimental results were used in evaluating the effects of pressure and Fe substitution on the full single-crystal elastic moduli across the Di-Hd solid-solution series to better understand the seismic velocity profiles of the upper mantle. Using the third- or fourth-order Eulerian finite-strain equations of state to model the elasticity data, the derived aggregate adiabatic bulk and shear moduli (K (sub S0) , G (sub 0) ) at ambient conditions were determined to be 117(2) and 70(1) GPa, respectively. The first- and second-pressure derivatives of bulk and shear moduli at 300 K were (delta K (sub S) /delta P) (sub T) =5.0(2), (delta (super 2) K (sub S) /delta P (super 2) ) (sub T) =-0.12(4) GPa (super 1) and (delta G/delta P) (sub T) =1.72(9), (delta (super 2) G/delta P (super 2) ) (sub T) =-0.05(2) GPa (super -1) , respectively. A comparison of our results with previous studies on end-member diopside and hedenbergite in the literatures shows systematic linear correlations between the Fe composition and single-crystal elastic moduli. An addition of 20 mol% Fe in diopside increases K (sub S0) by approximately 1.7% ( approximately 2 GPa) and reduces G (sub 0) by approximately 4.1% ( approximately 3 GPa), but has a negligible effect on the pressure derivatives of the bulk and shear moduli within experimental uncertainties. In addition, our modeling results show that substitution of 20 mol% Fe in diopside can reduce V (sub P) and V (sub S) by approximately 1.8% and approximately 3.5%, respectively, along both an expected normal mantle geotherm and a representative cold subducted slab geotherm. Furthermore, the modeling results show that the V (sub P) and V (sub S) profiles of Fe-enriched pyroxenite along the cold subducted slab geotherm are approximately 3.2% and approximately 2.5% lower than AK135 model at 400 km depth, respectively. Finally, we propose that the presence of Fe-enriched pyroxenite (including Fe-enriched clinopyroxene, Fe-enriched orthopyroxene, and Fe-enriched olivine), can be an effective mechanism to cause low-velocity anomalies in the upper mantle regions atop the 410 km discontinuity at cold subducted slab conditions.