Weak cubic CaSiO perovskite in the Earth's mantle.

Cubic CaSiO perovskite is a major phase in subducted oceanic crust, where it forms at a depth of about 550 kilometres from majoritic garnet. However, its rheological properties at temperatures and pressures typical of the lower mantle are poorly known. Here we measured the plastic strength of cubic CaSiO perovskite at pressure and temperature conditions typical for a subducting slab up to a depth of about 1,200 kilometres.

An improved setup for radial diffraction experiments at high pressures and high temperatures in a resistive graphite-heated diamond anvil cell.

We present an improved setup for the experimental study of deformation of solids at simultaneous high pressures and temperatures by radial x-ray diffraction. This technique employs a graphite resistive heated Mao-Bell type diamond anvil cell for radial x-ray diffraction in combination with a water-cooled vacuum chamber. The new chamber has been developed by the sample environment group at PETRA III and implemented at the Extreme Conditions Beamline P02.