A Comparison of the Raman Spectra and Crystal Chemistry of Norbergite and Clinohumite at High Pressure

Humite group minerals n(Mg.Fe)2SiO4 - (Mg,Fe)(OH)2 have been suggested as possible candidates for water storage and transport in the mantle, and clinohumite in particular has been proposed as the source of ilmenite lamellae in Alpine ultrahigh pressure metamorphic terranes via its decomposition at high pressure and temperature. In this study, a comparison is made between the Raman spectra of norbergite (n = 1) and clinohumite (n = 4) up to 15 GPa to correlate the structural and vibrational properties of these two members of the group. All observed vibrational modes in the Raman spectra of both minerals increase in frequency with pressure, although the change in frequencies with pressure is much steeper in norbergite than for clinohumite. In norbergite, antisymmetric stretching modes of the SiO4 tetrahedra merge, but no such merging of modes occurs in clinohumite. In addition, the intensity of the antisymmetric stretching mode for clinohumite decreases dramatically in pressure compared to the intensity of the symmetric stretching mode. In the spectra of norbergite, these two modes retain their relative intensities with increasing pressure. The most striking difference between the spectra of norbergite and clinohumite is in the deformation modes of the brucite layer, which within the clinohumite structure retain their intensities with increasing pressure, while these modes are not observed in the spectra of norbergite. The nature of the Raman spectra and their evolution with pressure are correlated with the structural properties of the two minerals in terms of the interactions between olivine and brucite layers and the crystal chemistry of the humite group minerals.