Elastic Anomalies Across the alpha-beta Phase Transition in Orthopyroxene: Implication for the Metastable Wedge in the Cold Subduction Slab

Single-crystal elasticity of both alpha- and beta-orthopyroxene was determined up to 20 GPa and 300 K by Brillouin scattering. Using the derived full elastic moduli (C-ij), we investigated the contribution of the metastable pyroxene to the seismically observed 3%-5% low-velocity anomalies along the subducting slab in the top transition zone. Our modeled results show that a harzburgite wedge with a 1000-K colder geotherm and metastable alpha-orthopyroxene and olivine displays compressional (V-P) and shear-wave (V-S) velocities 3.0%-3.6(6)% and 2.0%-2.8(6)% lower than the surrounding mantle at 410-460 km depth, respectively. At deeper depth up to 520 km, V-P and V-S of this metastable wedge with beta-orthopyroxene and olivine are 3.6%-4.4(6)% and 2.8%-4.3(6)% lower than the pyrolitic mantle, respectively. The presence of both metastable orthopyroxene and olivine instead of metastable olivine alone helps better explain the origin of the low-velocity anomalies within the subduction slab in the top transition zone. Plain Language Summary Subducting slab plays a significant role in transportation the surface material to the Earth's deep interior. It is normally imaged as a high-velocity body compared to the surrounding mantle. However, seismic studies detected the existence of 3%-5% low compressional-wave velocity anomalies accompanied with strong seismic shear-wave anisotropies within the subducting slab at the top transition zone in various locations of the Earth which cannot be explained by the presence of metastable olivine alone. Besides olivine, orthopyroxene could also remain metastable in the coldest harzburgite layer of the slab. Here we report experimental results on the single-crystal elasticity of both alpha- and beta-orthopyroxene up to 20 GPa and 300 K. These experimental results allow us to provide a comprehensive evaluation on the velocity profiles of the coldest harzburgite layer of the slab. We found that the coldest harzburgite layer with 22-37 vol.% orthopyroxene and 62-78 vol.% olivine has the V-P and V-S 3.0%-4.4(6)% and 2.0%-4.5(6)% lower than those of the pyrolitic mantle in the mantle transition zone, respectively. The observed 3%-5% low-velocity anomalies within the slab in the top transition zone should be explained by the metastable orthopyroxene and olivine instead of metastable olivine alone.