PREDICTED MODEL FOR HYDROUS MODIFIED OLIVINE (HYM-α)

Abstract

A possible structure for hydrous modified olivine (HyM-α) has been obtained by the subtraction of Mg3SiO5 from forsterite by crystallographic shear along a direction parallel to the [010] direction of olivine. The subtraction of Mg3SiO5 results in the subtraction of MgO from bulk chemistry (-Mg3SiO5=-Mg2SiO4-MgO). A possible structure for HyM-α thus obtained has the chemical formula Mg9Si5H2O20 (= 5 × Mg1.8SiH0.4O4) with monoclinic unit cell a=4.754 A, b=10.19 A, c=29.90 A, ρ=3.126 g cm-3, and space group=Ac2m (no. 39). Since the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of HyM-α proposed in this study is very close to that of clinohumite, there is the possibility of this phase having been undiscovered. The humite group minerals and HyM-α proposed in this study make a homologous series as recombination structures: Mg(2m+n)SimH2nO2(2m+n) for the humite group and Mg(2m+n)Si(m+n)H2nO4(m+n) for HyM-α A characteristic feature is that Mg/Si > 2 for the humite group and Mg/Si < 2 for HyM-α. Forsterite specimens containing around 100 ppm H2O reported in mantle xenoliths might be the disordered case with n=1 and m=1200 of the humite group or HyM-α.