Effect of melt densification on minor element incorporation at Earth’s lower mantle conditions

We will extend our study on the pressure and temperature induced structural changes around Sr and Y contained silicate melts and glasses relevant to magmatic processes in the deep Earth. We plan to extend our previous work on simplified glass compositions. In this follow-up, we will focus on the naturally most relevant basaltic composition. We will investigate in-situ at high P/T conditions of the Earth’s mantle the local structural environment of these cations, both in the glass and in the melt using a laser heated diamond anvil cell combined with X-ray absorption spectroscopy. These data will allow identifying effects of pressure-induced structural changes of the main silicate network onto the coordination of these cations that represent geochemically important trace elements as well as network-modifying cations. These data will provide unprecedented insights on the structural interplay between network-forming and NM-elements of melts throughout Earth’s mantle conditions.