Polymorphic Nature of Iron and Degree of Lattice Preferred Orientation Beneath the Earth's Inner Core Boundary

Deciphering the polymorphic nature and the degree of iron lattice‐preferred orientation in the Earth's inner core holds a key to understanding the present status and evolution of the inner core. A multiphase lattice‐preferred orientation pattern is obtained for the top 350 km of the inner core...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Mattesini, Maurizio, Belonoshko, Anatoly B., Tkalčić, Hrvoje
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/185967
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/185967
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Earth's inner core
Lattice‐preferred orientation
Iron polymorphs
Descripción
Sumario:Deciphering the polymorphic nature and the degree of iron lattice‐preferred orientation in the Earth's inner core holds a key to understanding the present status and evolution of the inner core. A multiphase lattice‐preferred orientation pattern is obtained for the top 350 km of the inner core by means of the ab initio based Candy Wrapper Velocity Model coupled to a Monte Carlo phase discrimination scheme. The achieved geographic distribution of lattice alignment is characterized by two regions of freezing, namely within South America and the Western Central Pacific, that exhibit an uncommon high degree of lattice orientation. In contrast, widespread regions of melting of relatively weak lattice ordering permeate the rest of the inner core. The obtained multiphase lattice‐preferred orientation pattern is in line with mantle‐constrained geodynamo simulations and allows to setup an ad hoc mineral physics scenario for the complex Earth's inner core. It is found that the cubic phase of iron is the dominating iron polymorph in the outermost part of the inner core.