Effect of Iron Content on Thermal Conductivity of Ferropericlase: Implications for Planetary Mantle Dynamics

We have simultaneously measured thermal conductivity (lambda) and thermal diffusivity (kappa) for polycrystalline ferropericlase with different Fe contents (Fp(3), Fp(5), Fp(10), Fp(20), Fp(30) and Fp(50)) up to 23 GPa and 1100 K by a pulse heating method. Experiment results reveals that even small amounts of Fe in ferropericlase can strongly reduce the thermal conductivity by several times at low temperature compared with MgO periclase. With increasing Fe in ferropericlase, both their pressure and temperature dependence decrease. lambda of Fe-bearing ferropericlase is not sensitive to temperature compared with silicates and shows a tendency of first increasing and then decreasing with increasing temperature. A universal equation was derived to estimate lambda of ferropericlase with arbitrary composition under mantle conditions. The low lambda values of Fe-rich ferropericlase can explain one possible origin of ultralow velocity zones. This study suggests that Fe content in ferropericlase is an important factor controlling the cooling history of terrestrial planets.

Automated summary

We have measured thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity for polycrystalline ferropericlase with different Fe contents under high pressure and high temperature conditions. The results show that even small amounts of Fe can significantly reduce the thermal conductivity of ferropericlase at low temperatures. There is a decrease in the pressure and temperature dependence with increasing Fe content. A universal equation was derived to estimate the thermal conductivity of ferropericlase under mantle conditions.