Hugoniot and released state of calcite above 200 GPa with implications for hypervelocity planetary impacts

Carbonate minerals, for example calcite and magnesite, exist on the planetary surfaces of the Earth, Mars, and Venus, and are subjected to hypervelocity collisions. The physical properties of planetary materials at extreme conditions are essential for understanding their dynamic behaviors at hypervelocity collisions and the mantle structure of rocky planets including Super-Earths. Here we report laboratory investigations of laser-shocked calcite at pressures of 200–960 GPa (impact velocities of 12–30 km/s and faster than escape velocity from the Earth) using decay shock techniques. Our measured temperatures above 200 GPa indicated a large difference from the previous theoretical models. The present shock Hugoniot data and temperature measurements, compared with the previous reports, indicate melting without decomposition at pressures of ~110 GPa to ~350 GPa and a bonded liquid up to 960 GPa from the calculated specific heat. Our temperature calculations of calcite at 1 atm adiabatically released from the Hugoniot points suggest that the released products vary depending on the shock pressures and affect the planetary atmosphere by the degassed species. The present results on calcite newly provide an important anchor for considering the theoretical EOS at the extreme conditions, where the model calculations show a significant diversity at present.