Elastic Wave Velocity of Brucite and Its Implications for Water Cycling in Subduction Zones

ZHANG Rui; WANG Duojun; CAI Nao

doi:10.11858/gywlxb.20251026

Volume 39 Issue 10

Oct 2025

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Chinese Journal of High Pressure Physics > 2025 > 39(10): 100102.

ZHANG Rui, WANG Duojun, CAI Nao. Elastic Wave Velocity of Brucite and Its Implications for Water Cycling in Subduction Zones[J]. Chinese Journal of High Pressure Physics, 2025, 39(10): 100102. doi: 10.11858/gywlxb.20251026

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ZHANG Rui, WANG Duojun, CAI Nao. Elastic Wave Velocity of Brucite and Its Implications for Water Cycling in Subduction Zones[J]. Chinese Journal of High Pressure Physics, 2025, 39(10): 100102. doi: 10.11858/gywlxb.20251026

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Elastic Wave Velocity of Brucite and Its Implications for Water Cycling in Subduction Zones

doi: 10.11858/gywlxb.20251026

ZHANG Rui^{1, 2
,},
WANG Duojun^{1, 2,*
,
,},
CAI Nao^{1, 2,*
,
,}

1.
High Pressure Science Experiment Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
2.
College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Received Date: 17 Feb 2025
Rev Recd Date: 20 Mar 2025
Accepted Date: 19 May 2025

Available Online: 22 Mar 2025

Issue Publish Date: 05 Oct 2025

Abstract

Abstract

Brucite, a key constituent mineral in hydrated peridotites within subduction zones, can occupy up to the volume fraction of 15% of these water-saturated rocks. Investigating the high-pressure elastic wave velocities of brucite is thus crucial for understanding the composition, seismic velocity structure, and deep-water cycling processes of hydrated peridotites in subduction zones. In this study, dense polycrystalline brucite was synthesized from Mg(OH)₂ reagent under 4 GPa and 523 K for 2 h. The elastic wave velocities and moduli of brucite were measured up to 14 GPa using ultrasonic interferometry. The results demonstrate that the elastic wave velocities and moduli of brucite increase with increasing pressure. By integrating seismic tomography with mineral assemblage modeling, we constrained the water content in the low-velocity anomaly regions of the mantle wedge using the Voigt-Reuss-Hill (VRH) model. Our estimations indicate that the water mass fraction ranges from 3.0%–10.0% in low-velocity anomaly zones of the mantle wedge above the subducting slab at depths of 20–40 km, and 1.0%–3.0% within the subducting slab at depths of 60–80 km beneath northeastern Japan.
- brucite,
- wave velocity,
- subduction zones,
- water content,
- high pressure

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References(42)

References

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Elastic Wave Velocity of Brucite and Its Implications for Water Cycling in Subduction Zones

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