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Abstract Hexagonal close‐packed (hcp) structured Fe‐Ni alloy is believed to be the dominant phase in the Earth's inner core. This phase is expected to contain 4%–5% light elements, such as Si and H. While the effects of individual light element candidates on the equation of state (EoS) of the hcp Fe metal have been studied, their combined effects remain largely unexplored. In this study, we report the equations of state for two hcp‐structured Fe‐Si‐H alloys, namely Fe0.83Si0.17H0.07and Fe0.83Si0.17H0.46, using synchrotron X‐ray diffraction measurements up to 125 GPa at 300 K. These alloys were synthesized by cold compression of Fe‐9wt%Si in either pure H2or Ar‐H2mixture medium in diamond‐anvil cells. The volume increase caused by a H atom in hcp Fe‐Si‐H alloys is approximately eight times greater than that by a Si atom. We used the improved data set to develop a composition‐dependent EoS that covers a wide range of compositions. Our calculated density and bulk sound velocity of hcp Fe‐Si‐H alloys suggest a large trade‐off between Si and H contents in fitting the seismic properties of the inner core. Combining our new EoS with geophysical and geochemical constraints, we propose 1.6–3 wt% Si and 0.15–0.6 wt% H in the Earth's inner core.
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This content will become publicly available on October 29, 2025
Phase Transitions and Thermal Equation of State of Fe‐9wt.%Si Applied to the Moon and Mercury
Abstract Accurate knowledge of the phase transitions and thermoelastic properties of candidate iron alloys, such as Fe‐Si alloys, is essential for understanding the nature and dynamics of planetary cores. The phase diagrams of some Fe‐Si alloys between 1 atm and 16 GPa have been back‐extrapolated from higher pressures, but the resulting phase diagram of Fe83.6Si16.4(9 wt.% Si) is inconsistent with temperature‐induced changes in its electrical resistivity between 6 and 8 GPa. This study reports in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction (XRD) measurements on pre‐melted and powder Fe83.6Si16.4samples from ambient conditions to 60 GPa and 900 K using an externally heated diamond‐anvil cell. Upon compression at 300 K, thebccphase persisted up to ∼38 GPa. Thehcpphase appeared near 8 GPa in the pre‐melted sample, and near 17 GPa in the powder sample. The appearance of thehcpphase in the pre‐melted sample reconciles the reported changes in electrical resistivity of a similar sample, thus resolving the low‐pressure region of the phase diagram. The resulting high‐temperature Birch‐Murnaghan equation of state (EoS) and thermal EoS based on the Mie‐Gruneisen‐Debye model of thebccandhcpstructures are consistent with, and complement the literature data at higher pressures. The calculated densities based on the thermal EoS of Fe‐9wt.%Si indicate that bothbccandhcpphases agree with the reported core density estimates for the Moon and Mercury.
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- PAR ID:
- 10582455
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
- Volume:
- 129
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 2169-9097
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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