Plastic deformation of MgGeO3 post-perovskite at lower mantle pressures

Science. 2006 Feb 3;311(5761):644-6. doi: 10.1126/science.1121808.

Abstract

Polycrystalline MgGeO3 post-perovskite was plastically deformed in the diamond anvil cell between 104 and 130 gigapascals confining pressure and ambient temperature. In contrast with phenomenological considerations suggesting (010) as a slip plane, lattice planes near (100) became aligned perpendicular to the compression direction, suggesting that slip on (100) or (110) dominated plastic deformation. With the assumption that silicate post-perovskite behaves similarly at lower mantle conditions, a numerical model of seismic anisotropy in the D'' region implies a maximum contribution of post-perovskite to shear wave splitting of 3.7% with an oblique polarization.