On the Activation Volume for Dislocation Creep and Diffusion in Olivine and Other Minerals

The activation volume is an important parameter that characterizes the pressure dependence of plastic deformation. However, experimental determination of activation volume is challenging and, for olivine, the published results range from ~0 to ~30 cm3/mol. This vast range of V* is translated into more than 10 orders of magnitude difference in viscosity in the deep upper mantle (for a given stress). The main reasons for this large discrepancy include (i) the large experimental errors in the previous experimental studies on V* due to the limited pressure range and the limited resolution of mechanical measurements and (ii) the confusions in parameterization of flow law. In this talk, I will discuss several issues in determining and interpreting V*. In addition to the issues of uncertainties in experimental measurements, one important issue in the experimental determination of V* is the choice of flow law formula. It is customary to use a power-law equation to determine V*, but the appropriateness of power-law relationship is not obvious, and two issues need to be addressed carefully. First, at stress exceeding ~200 MPa (for olivine), deviation from power- law behavior is appreciable and the exponential flow law becomes important. The transition to exponential flow law will result in (i) apparently small V* if the data were fitted to a power-law relation, and (ii) apparently negative dependence of activation enthalpy (as observed by Green and Borch (1987)). Second, the flow-law parameterization under water-saturated conditions needs to include the pressure dependence of water fugacity. When this effect is ignored, apparently small activation volume would be obtained. Third, if deform,ation is in the transient creep regime rather than in the "steady-state" creep regime, then the activation volume will be an apparent activation volume that can be significantly lower than the "true" activation volume if the transient creep behavior is pressure-dependent. I will review the existing data on olivine and other materials to estimate the "intrinsic" ("true") activation volumes in these minerals.