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Nature of electrical charge carriers in the Earth's lower mantle from laboratory measurements
Author(s) -
Li Xiaoyuan,
Jeanloz Raymond
Publication year - 1994
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 - 10.1029/94gl01934
Subject(s) - seebeck coefficient , charge carrier , electrical resistivity and conductivity , materials science , mantle (geology) , thermoelectric effect , impurity , silicate , thermal conduction , condensed matter physics , conductivity , mineralogy , geophysics , geology , thermal conductivity , thermodynamics , chemistry , physics , optoelectronics , composite material , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Thermoelectric power measurements on a silicate‐perovskite and magnesiowüstite assemblage at lower‐mantle conditions [(Mg 0.89 Fe 0.11 ) 2 SiO 4 bulk composition at 48 GPa and temperatures up to 2500 K] yield a positive Seebeck coefficient, thus implying that the dominant charge carriers are positive and that electrons in the conduction band (intrinsic carriers) contribute little to the electrical conductivity. The present results suggest that electrical transport is likely dominated by extrinsic charge carriers throughout the entire mantle and, hence, the electrical conductivity can be a powerful tool for characterizing minor phases, impurities and defect states of the Earth's deep interior.