Grain Boundary Diffusion of Sulfur in MgO

From being a candidate light element in the Earth's core to recording biosignatures on the surface, sulfur is a minor, but critical, element throughout the Earth. A deeper understanding the behaviour of sulfur under a wide scope of Earth relevant conditions will provide insight into geochemical cycles and reservoirs from the crust to the core. Sulfur isotope ratios in particular may be used to record specific geochemical processes such as ongoing core/mantle interaction, as well as shallower processes including cycling between the atmosphere/hydrosphere and lithosphere. The mobility of sulfur under these conditions will affect the reliability of using observed signatures to distinguish past processes and events. Grain boundary diffusion has often been shown to be orders of magnitude more rapid than diffusion through the crystal lattice of many materials. This effect is particularly important in cases where the diffusant is incompatible in the crystal lattice, and thus resides predominantly on grain boundaries. This is the case for sulfur and many of the minerals that comprise the interior of the Earth. If S diffusion is fast enough, the retention of some pristine signatures could be compromised. In other cases fast diffusion may allow for detection of signatures at large distances from their original source, as suggested by [1]. Experiments have been conducted in a piston-cylinder device at 1GPa and temperatures ranging from 1100°C to 1500°C to determine the rate of S grain boundary diffusion in an MgO matrix. A source-sink method similar to that used by [1] was employed using either FeS or FeS2 as a source and Mo foil as a sink separated by up to 3mm of pure MgO polycrystalline matrix. The foil sink was analyzed by electron microprobe and laser ablation ICP-MS for S content. Preliminary results show substantial diffusion of S through the MgO matrix. The results from these experiments, potential applications, and relevant numerical simulations will be presented. [1] L.A. Hayden and E.B. Watson (2007) A diffusion mechanism for core-mantle interaction. Nature 450, 709-711