Instability induced by orthopyroxene phase transformation and implications for deep earthquakes below 300 km depth

Global earthquake occurrence rate falls exponentially from the surface to 300 km depth, and then peaks again near 500 km depth. Unassisted frictional sliding will not function at depth below the brittle-ductile transition depth (10-15 km) because increasing pressure trends to inhibit frictional sliding and increasing temperature promotes ductile flow. Two main hypotheses have been proposed and demonstrated in the laboratory for the generation of earthquakes at depth, including dehydration embrittlement (e.g., Rayleigh and Paterson, 1965) for intermediate-depth (70-300 km) earthquakes, metastable olivine phase transformation induced anticrack faulting (e.g., Green and Burnley, 1989) for deep-focus (410-660 km) earthquakes. However, the possibility of earthquake generation by pyroxene phase transformation, another important constituent mineral in the upper mantle and transition zone has never been explored in the laboratory. Here we report axial deformation experiments on hypersthene [(Mg,Fe)SiO3], which has the same structure as enstatite, with the phase transformation to high-pressure monoclinic phase (same structure as the high-pressure clinoenstatite) occurring at lower pressures, in a deformation-DIA (D-DIA) apparatus interfaced with an acoustic emission (AE) monitoring system. Our results show that hypersthene deformed within its stability field (<2GPa and 1000 oC) behaves in a ductile manner without any AE activity. In contrast, numerous AE events were observed during the deformation of metastable hyposthene in its high pressure monoclinic phase field (>5GPa, 1000-1300 oC). This finding provides an additional viable mechanism for earthquakes at depths >300km and moonquakes at 700 - 1200 km depths. Reference: Barcheck, C. Grace, et al. EPSL,349 (2012): 153-160;van Keken, Peter E., et al.JGR,116.B1 (2011);Green II, H. W., and P. C. Burnley. Nature 341.6244 (1989): 733-737.