Thermoelastic Properties of K_0.7Na_0.3AlSi₃O₈ Hollandite and NaAlSi₂O₆ Jadeite: Implication for the Fate of the Subducted Continental Crust in the Deep Mantle

The thermoelastic properties of K_0.7Na_0.3AlSi₃O₈ hollandite and NaAlSi₂O₆ jadeite, synthesized from a (K, Na)-felspar (microcline), were investigated by a combination of in situ energy dispersive synchrotron X-ray radiation and multi-anvil techniques at high pressure (P) and temperature (T) up to 21 GPa and 1700 K. The second-order phase transformation was found to occur in hollandite at ~16 GPa from tetragonal I/4m (hollandite-I) to monoclinic I2/m (hollandite-II), which confirms the previous report that the incorporation of Na in the hollandite structure decreases the transformation pressure. Fitting the pressure–volume–temperature data to the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state yielded estimates of the thermoelastic parameters for jadeite as well as the K_0.7Na_0.3AlSi₃O₈ hollandite-I and -II phases, which indicate that the incorporation of Na is likely to decrease the bulk moduli of both hollandite phases. The obtained thermoelastic parameters were combined with those of other mantle minerals reported previously to estimate the density of continental materials along an average mantle geotherm. Based on our results, continental crust and sediment become, respectively, 11% and 15% denser than the pyrolitic mantle at pressure >10 GPa, suggesting that once pulled down to the critical depth of ~300 km, the continental portions of the slab can subduct further into the deep mantle, down to the lowermost part of the mantle transition region. View Full-Text