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High pressure and temperature experiments were carried out on the oxide mixtures corresponding to the bridgmanite stoichiometry under the hydrous shallow lower mantle conditions (24–25 GPa and 1673–1873 K with 5–10 wt. % of water in the starting material). Oxide mixtures investigated correspond to MgSiO₃, (Mg, Fe)SiO₃, (Mg, Al, Si)O₃, and (Mg, Fe, Al, Si)O₃. Melting was observed in all runs. Partitioning of various elements, including Mg, Fe, Si, and H is investigated. Melting under hydrous lower mantle conditions leads to increased (Mg + Fe)O/SiO₂in the melt compared to the residual solids. The residual solids often contain a large amount of stishovite, and the melt contains higher (Mg,Fe)O/SiO₂ratio than the initial material. (Mg + Fe)O‐rich hydrous melt could explain the low‐velocity anomalies observed in the shallow lower mantle and a large amount of stishovite in the residual solid may be responsible for the scattering of seismic waves in the mid‐lower mantle and may explain the “stishovite paradox. Since stishovite‐rich materials are formed only when silica‐rich source rock (MORB) is melted (not a typical peridotitic rock [bulk silicate Earth]), seismic scattering in the lower mantle provides a clue on the circulation of subducted MORB materials. To estimate hydrogen content, we use a new method of estimating the water content of unquenchable melts, and also propose a new interpretation of the significance of superhydrous phase B inclusions in bridgmanite. The results provide revised values of water partitioning between solid minerals and hydrous melts that are substantially higher than previous estimates.

The presence of light elements in the metallic cores of the Earth, the Moon, and other rocky planetary bodies has been widely proposed. Carbon is among the top candidates in light of its high cosmic abundance, siderophile nature, and ubiquity in iron meteorites. It is, however, still controversial whether carbon‐rich core compositional models can account for the seismic velocity observations within the Earth and lunar cores. Here, we report the density and elasticity of Fe₉₀Ni₁₀‐3 wt.% C and Fe₉₀Ni₁₀‐5 wt.% C liquid alloys using synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption experiments and first‐principles molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that alloying of 3 wt.% and 5 wt.% C lowers the density of Fe₉₀Ni₁₀liquid by ∼2.9–3.1% at 2 GPa, and ∼3.4–3.6% at 9 GPa. More intriguingly, our experiments and simulations both demonstrate that the bulk moduli of the Fe‐Ni‐C liquids are similar to or slightly higher than those of Fe‐Ni liquids. Thus, the calculated compressional velocities (v_p) of Fe‐Ni‐C liquids are higher than that of pure Fe‐Ni alloy, promoting carbon as a possible candidate to explain the elevatedv_pin the Earth's outer core. However, the values and slopes of both density andv_pof the studied two Fe‐Ni‐C liquids do not match the outer core seismic models, suggesting that carbon may not be the sole principal light element in Earth's outer core. The highv_pof Fe‐Ni‐C liquids does not match the presumptivev_pof the lunar outer core well, indicating that carbon is less likely to be its dominant light element.