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CEMHTI-CNRS, UPR3079, 1D avenue de la Recherche Scientifique, 45071 Orléans cedex2,
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- PublicationOpen AccessCarbonatite Melts and Electrical Conductivity in the Asthenosphere(2008-11)
; ; ; ; ; ;Gaillard, F.; CNRS/INSU, Université d'Orléans, Université François Rabelais - Tours, ;Malki, M.; CEMHTI-CNRS, UPR3079, 1D avenue de la Recherche Scientifique, 45071 Orléans cedex2, ;Iacono Marziano, G.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Palermo, Palermo, Italia ;Pichavant, M.; CNRS/INSU, Université d'Orléans, Université François Rabelais - Tours, ;Scaillet, B.; CNRS/INSU, Université d'Orléans, Université François Rabelais - Tours,; ; ; ; Electrically conductive regions in the Earth mantle have been interpreted to reflect the presence of either silicate melt or water dissolved in olivine. On the basis of laboratory measurements we show that molten carbonates have electrical conductivities that are 3 orders of magnitude higher than those of molten silicate and 5 orders of magnitude higher than those of hydrated olivine. High conductivities in the asthenosphere probably indicate the presence of small amounts of carbonate melt in peridotite and can therefore be interpreted in terms of carbon concentration in the upper mantle. We show that the conductivity of the Oceanic asthenosphere can be explained by 0.1 volume % of carbonatite melts on average, which agrees with the CO2 content of Mid Ocean Ridge Basalts.151 330