NanoSIMS analysis of water content in bridgmanite at the micron scale: An experimental approach to probe water in Earth's deep mantle

Water, in trace amounts, can greatly alter chemical and physical properties of mantle minerals and exert primary control on Earth's dynamics. Quantifying how water is retained and distributed in Earth's deep interior is essential to our understanding of Earth's origin and evolution. While directly sampling Earth's deep interior remains challenging, the experimental technique using laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) is likely the only method available to synthesize and recover analog specimens throughout Earth's lower mantle conditions. The recovered samples, however, are typically of micron sizes and require high spatial resolution to analyze their water abundance. Here we use nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to characterize water content in bridgmanite, the most abundant mineral in Earth's lower mantle. We have established two working standards of natural orthopyroxene that are likely suitable for calibrating water concentration in bridgmanite, i.e., A119(H2O) = 99 +/- 13 mu g/g (1SD) and A158(H2O) = 293 +/- 23 mu g/g (1SD). We find that matrix effect among orthopyroxene, olivine, and glass is less than 10%, while that between orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene can be up to 20%. Using our calibration, a bridgmanite synthesized by LH-DAC at 33 +/- 1 GPa and 3,690 +/- 120 K is measured to contain 1,099 +/- 14 mu g/g water, with partition coefficient of water between bridgmanite and silicate melt similar to 0.025, providing the first measurement at such condition. Applying the unique analytical capability of NanoSIMS to minute samples recovered from LH-DAC opens a new window to probe water and other volatiles in Earth's deep mantle.

Automated summary

Water in trace amounts can greatly impact mantle minerals and is crucial for understanding the origin and evolution of Earth. The experimental technique of laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) provides a method to synthesize and recover samples resembling Earth's lower mantle conditions. By using nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS), researchers were able to characterize the water content in bridgmanite, the most abundant mineral in Earth's lower mantle.