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Published July 10, 1984 | Published
Journal Article Open

Hugoniot data for pyrrhotite and the Earth's core

Abstract

New shock wave Hugoniot data for pyrrhotite (Fe_(0.9S)) now describe the equation of state to nearly twofold compression at a maximum pressure of 274 GPa. A minor discontinuity on the Hugoniot between 100 and 150 GPa is interpreted as the melting transition. While not tightly constrained, the inferred melting point lies below lower-bound temperature estimates based on the Lindemann criterion. The highest-pressure Hugoniot data (representing the melted phase) are used to model the equation of state for liquid iron sulfide. A density for liquid pyrrhotite of 7.80±0.20 Mg/m^3 under core-mantle boundary conditions (P = 135 GPa, T = 4000 K) is calculated. Assuming that sulfur is the primary alloying element in a predominately iron core, the present data are consistent with a homogeneous outer core containing 10±4 wt % sulfur.

Additional Information

Copyright 1984 by the American Geophysical Union. (Received August 15, 1983; revised February 6, 1984; accepted February 22, 1984.) Paper number 4B0358. This paper is dedicated to the memory of John C. Jamieson, who was professor of geophysics at the University of Chicago and a frequent visitor at Los Alamos. Jamieson was not only a pioneer in static and dynamic high-pressure research applied to geophysics but also a continuing source of inspiration to our generation of experimentalists. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (grants EAR 8109591 and EAR 8108616) and by the Department of Energy. This work is contribution 31, Geodynamics Program, Texas A&M University, and contribution 3869, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology.

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