K. Kuroda et al., Determination of the phase boundary between ilmenite and perovskite in MgSiO3 by in situ X-ray diffraction and quench experiments, PHYS CHEM M, 27(8), 2000, pp. 523-532
Determination of the phase boundary between ilmenite and perovskite structu
res in MgSiO3 has been made at pressures between 18 and 24 GPa and temperat
ures up to 2000 degrees C by in situ X-ray diffraction measurements using s
ynchrotron radiation and quench experiments. It was difficult to precisely
define the phase boundary by the present in situ X-ray observations, becaus
e the grain growth of ilmenite hindered the estimation of relative abundanc
es of these phases. Moreover, the slow reaction kinetics between these two
phases made it difficult to determine the phase boundary by changing pressu
re and temperature conditions during in situ X-ray diffraction measurements
, Nevertheless, the phase boundary was well constrained by quench method wi
th a pressure calibration based on the spinel-post-spinel boundary of Mg2Si
O4 determined by in situ X-ray experiments. This yielded the ilmenite-perov
skite phase boundary of P (GPa) = 25.0 (+/-0.2) 0.003 T (degrees C) for a t
emperature range of 1200 1800 degrees C, which is generally consistent with
the results of the present in situ X-ray diffraction measurements within t
he uncertainty of similar to +/-0.5 GPa, The phase boundary thus determined
between ilmenite and perovskite phases in MgSiO3 is slightly (similar to 0
.5 GPa) lower than that of the spinel-post-spinel transformation in Mg2SiO4
.