| Abstract: | Mineral assemblages displayed by MORB and alkali-poor olivine tholeiites have been investigated over the pressure interval 4.6–18 GPa at 1200°C. Both compositions crystallize to form normal eclogites between 4.6 and 10 GPa and there is little change in the relative proportions of garnet and pyroxene over this range. However, the proportion of garnet increases rapidly above 10 GPa as pyroxene dissolves in the garnet structure and pyroxene-free garnetites (±stishovite) are produced by 14–15 GPa, dependent upon composition. The garnetite facies for both compositions possess zero-pressure densities of 3.75 g/cm3, implying that subducted oceanic crust remains appreciably denser than surrounding mantle to depths exceeding 600 km. It is demonstrated that the seismic velocity distributions in the mantle between 400 and 650 km are inconsistent with Anderson's hypothesis that this region is of eclogitic composition. |
