Low melt viscosity enables melt doublets above the 410-km discontinuity.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40185751.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-58518-7 and PMC identifier 11971259.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Seismic and magnetotelluric studies suggest hydrous silicate melts atop the 410 km discontinuity form 30-100 km thick layers. Importantly, in some regions, two layers are observed. These stagnant layers are related to their comparable density to the surrounding mantle, but their formation mechanisms and detailed structures remain unclear. Here we report a large decrease of silicate melt viscosity at ~14 GPa, from 96(5) to 11.7(6) mPa⋅s, as water content increases from 15.5 to 31.8 mol% H₂O. Such low viscosities facilitate rapid segregation of melt, which would typically prevent thick layer accumulation. Our 1D finite element simulations show that continuous dehydration melting of upwelling mantle material produces a primary melt layer above 410 km and a secondary layer at the depth of equal mantle-melt densities. These layers can merge into a single thick layer under low density contrasts or high upwelling rates, explaining both melt doublets and thick single layers.