Premium
Fe‐Ni‐S melt permeability in olivine: Implications for planetary core formation
Author(s) -
Roberts J. J.,
Kinney J. H.,
Siebert J.,
Ryerson F. J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2007gl030497
Subject(s) - olivine , permeability (electromagnetism) , silicate , mineralogy , sulfide , thermodynamics , geology , chromite , materials science , chemical engineering , chemistry , geochemistry , metallurgy , physics , biochemistry , membrane , engineering
A controversial issue in models of planetary core formation concerns whether iron‐sulfide melts in contact with silicate minerals at high temperature and pressure form permeable, percolating networks. We address this issue by determining interconnectivity and calculating the permeability of quenched olivine‐iron‐sulfide partial‐melt samples synthesized at high temperature and pressure for a range of melt fractions and two melt compositions using 3D synchrotron radiation computed tomography and lattice‐Boltzmann simulations. Permeability ranged from ∼10 −19 m 2 at the lowest concentration of melt (∼1% by volume), to ∼10 −13 m 2 at higher concentrations (∼13% by volume). Permeability as a function of melt fraction is described by a relation of the form k = α d 2 ϕ n with a scaling exponent n of 3.6. Our findings, considered a lower bound when compared to larger grained planetesimals, show percolation is a viable mechanism for the migration of FeS melt that may be applicable to models of planetary core formation.