HYDROGEN IN STISHOVITE, WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR MANTLE WATER-CONTENT

Stishovite, the highest pressure polymorph of silicon dioxide, may be an important mineral in some regions of the Earth's mantle. Fourier tr ansform infrared spectroscopy has been used to determine the hydrogen content of synthetic stishovite. The concentration of hydrogen depends on the aluminum content of the sample and reaches a maximum of 549 +/ - 23 hydrogen atoms per 10(6) silicon atoms for an Al2O3 content of 1. 51 percent by weight. Stishovite could be a storage site for water in deep subducting slabs and in regions of the mantle that are too hot fo r hydrous minerals to be stable.