Viscosity of bridgmanite determined by in situ stress and strain measurements in uniaxial deformation experiments

To understand mantle dynamics, it is important to determine the rheological properties of bridgmanite, the dominant mineral in Earth's mantle. Nevertheless, experimental data on the viscosity of bridgmanite are quite limited due to experimental difficulties. Here, we report viscosity and deformation mechanism maps of bridgmanite at the uppermost lower mantle conditions obtained through in situ stress-strain measurements of bridgmanite using deformation apparatuses with the Kawai-type cell. Bridgmanite would be the hardest among mantle constituent minerals even under nominally dry conditions in the dislocation creep region, consistent with the observation that the lower mantle is the hardest layer. Deformation mechanism maps of bridgmanite indicate that grain size of bridgmanite and stress conditions at top of the lower mantle would be several millimeters and similar to 10(5) Pa to realize viscosity of 10(21-22) Pa.s, respectively. This grain size of bridgmanite suggests that the main part of the lower mantle is isolated from the convecting mantle as primordial reservoirs.

Automated summary

To understand mantle dynamics, it is important to determine the rheological properties of bridgmanite, the dominant mineral in Earth's mantle. Experimental data on the viscosity of bridgmanite are limited, but our in situ stress-strain measurements and deformation apparatuses provide viscosity and deformation mechanism maps of bridgmanite at the uppermost lower mantle conditions. The results show that bridgmanite is the hardest mineral even under dry conditions, and the lower mantle is isolated from the convecting mantle.