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Geophysics

Protons lead the charge

Nature volume 443, pages 927–928 (2006)Cite this article

Is the anomalously high electrical conductivity seen in part of Earth's mantle caused by protons derived from hydrous defects in the mineral olivine? Two groups investigate this possibility — and draw different conclusions.

Many lines of evidence indicate that Earth's dynamic processes are controlled by water — more specifically, by the hydrogen ions (protons) present in minerals in its interior. What has been lacking is a reliable way to determine the concentration and distribution of this hydrogen. Theoretical considerations indicate that the magnitude of a mineral's electrical conductivity puts a constraint on its hydrogen content. In this issue, studies by Yoshino et al. (page 973)1 and Wang et al. (page 977)2 demonstrate that small amounts of hydrogen increase the electrical conductivity of olivine — a silicate that is the most abundant mineral in Earth's upper mantle — by between 100 and 1,000 times. These experimental results provide an initial verification of a process that has been proposed to explain high electrical conductivity in the upper mantle — but also supply several caveats.

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  1. Department of Geology & Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Greg Hirth

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  1. Greg Hirth
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Hirth, G. Protons lead the charge. Nature 443, 927–928 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/443927a

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