Enhanced Visibility of Subduction Slabs by the Formation of Dense Hydrous Phase A

Phase A (Mg₇Si₂O₈(OH)₆) is one of the important dense hydrous magnesium silicates in subducting slab, because it forms after the breakdown of antigorite serpentine and could be the dominant hydrous phase in the upper-mantle deep slab for the water transportation into deep Earth. In this study, the compressional (P) and shear (S) wave velocities of phase A were measured at simultaneous pressure and temperature conditions up to 11 GPa and 1073 K. Combined with elastic properties of olivine and pyroxenes, we calculate the hydration effect on the velocities of harzburgite lithology in cold subduction zones throughout the depth ranges where phase A is thermodynamically stable. Our calculations suggest that the hydration increases both P- and S-wave velocities of harzburgite; at ∼5 wt% hydration, its seismic detectability is enhanced by 1%–1.5% in velocity contrasts relative to its anhydrous counterpart.