High-pressure phase transitions and subduction behavior of continental crust at pressure–temperature conditions up to the upper part of the lower mantle

We precisely determined detailed phase relations of upper continental crust (UCC) at 20–28 GPa and 1200–1800 °C across the 660-km discontinuity conditions with a high-pressure multi-anvil apparatus. We used multi-sample chambers packed with both of UCC and pressure marker, and they were kept simultaneously at the same high-pressure and high-temperature conditions in each run. The high-pressure experiments were carried out in pressure and temperature intervals of about 1 GPa and 200 °C, respectively. At 22–25 GPa and 1600–1800 °C, UCC transformed from the assemblage of CaAl4Si2O11-rich phase (CAS)+clinopyroxene+garnet+hollandite+stishovite to that of calcium ferrite+calcium perovskite+hollandite+stishovite via the assemblage of CAS+calcium ferrite+calcium perovskite+garnet+hollandite+stishovite. No CAS was observed at 1200 °C. The textures and grain sizes in the run products suggested that hollandite (II) (monoclinic symmetry) was stable above 24–25 GPa and transformed to hollandite (I) (tetragonal symmetry) during decompression. We calculated the density of UCC at high pressure and high temperature from the mineral proportions which were calculated from the mineral compositions. UCC has a higher density than PREM up to 23.5 GPa in the range of 1200–1800 °C. Above 24 GPa, the density of UCC is lower than that of PREM at 1600–1800 °C, but is almost equal to that at 1400 °C and higher than PREM at temperature below 1400 °C. Therefore, we suggest that the subducted UCC may penetrate the 660-km discontinuity into the lower mantle, when its temperature is lower than 1400 °C at around 660 km depth.

► We examined phase relations of upper continental crust (UCC) to 28 GPa and 1800 °C.
► Calcium ferrite, hollandite, stishovite and Ca-perovskite are stable above 24 GPa.
► Density of UCC is higher than PREM at uppermost lower mantle pressure below 1400 °C.
► UCC can penetrate the 660 km discontinuity, when its temperature is below 1400 °C.