Sound Velocities of Stishovite at Simultaneous High Pressure and High Temperature Suggest an Eclogite-Rich Layer Beneath the Hawaii Hotspot

Compressional and shear wave velocities of polycrystalline stishovite (SiO₂) have been measured at simultaneous high pressures and temperatures up to 14.5 GPa and 800°C. By fitting velocities to the finite strain equations, the elastic moduli and density were determined to be K_S0 = 306.6(46) GPa, K_S′ = 4.92(10), ∂K_S/∂T = −0.024(1) GPa/K, G₀ = 229.0(34) GPa, G′ = 1.07(10), ∂G/∂T = −0.017(1) GPa/K, ρ₀ = 4.287(2) g/cm³. Our modeling suggested that, in the eclogite, coesite-stishovite transition can increase P and S wave velocities by 2.4% and 3.5%, respectively. A comparison between geophysical observations and our model shows that the coesite-stishovite phase transition in the eclogite can potentially be responsible for the occurrence of the X discontinuity beneath Hawaii. In addition, our current results suggest an eclogite-rich layer between 340 and 450 km depth beneath Hawaii. The eclogite concentration at the top and bottom of the layer is 41–55 vol% and >77 vol%, respectively.