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Abstract The high-pressure phases of oxyhydroxides (δ-AlOOH, ε-FeOOH, and their solid solution), candidate components of subducted slabs, have wide stability fields, thus potentially influencing volatile circulation and dynamics in the Earth’s lower mantle. Here, we report the elastic wave velocities of δ-(Al,Fe)OOH (Fe/(Al + Fe) = 0.13, δ-Fe13) to 79 GPa, determined by nuclear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering. At pressures below 20 GPa, a softening of the phonon spectra is observed. With increasing pressure up to the Fe 3+ spin crossover (~ 45 GPa), the Debye sound velocity ( v D ) increases. At higher pressures, the low spin δ-Fe13 is characterized by a pressure-invariant v D . Using the equation of state for the same sample, the shear-, compressional-, and bulk-velocities ( v S , v P , and v Φ ) are calculated and extrapolated to deep mantle conditions. The obtained velocity data show that δ-(Al,Fe)OOH may cause low- v Φ and low- v P anomalies in the shallow lower mantle. At deeper depths, we find that this hydrous phase reproduces the anti-correlation between v S and v Φ reported for the large low seismic velocity provinces, thus serving as a potential seismic signature of hydrous circulation in the lower mantle. 

The transport of hydrogen into Earth's deep interior may have an impact on lower mantle dynamics as well as on the seismic signature of subducted material. Due to the stability of the hydrous phasesδ‐AlOOH (delta phase), MgSiO₂(OH)₂(phase H), andε‐FeOOH at high temperatures and pressures, their solid solutions may transport significant amounts of hydrogen as deep as the core‐mantle boundary. We have constrained the equation of state, including the effects of a spin crossover in the Fe³⁺atoms, of (Al, Fe)‐phase H: Al_0.84Fe³⁺_0.07Mg_0.02Si_0.06OOH, using powder X‐ray diffraction measurements to 125 GPa, supported by synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements on (Al, Fe)‐phase H andδ‐(Al, Fe)OOH. The changes in spin state of Fe³⁺in (Al, Fe)‐phase H results in a significant decrease in bulk sound velocity and occurs over a different pressure range (48–62 GPa) compared withδ‐(Al, Fe)OOH (32–40 GPa). Changes in axial compressibilities indicate a decrease in the compressibility of hydrogen bonds in (Al, Fe)‐phase H near 30 GPa, which may be associated with hydrogen bond symmetrization. The formation of (Al, Fe)‐phase H in subducted oceanic crust may contribute to scattering of seismic waves in the mid‐lower mantle (∼1,100–1,550 km). Accumulation of 1–4 wt.% (Al, Fe)‐phase H could reproduce some of the seismic signatures of large, low seismic‐velocity provinces. Our results suggest that changes in the electronic structure of phases in the (δ‐AlOOH)‐(MgSiO₂(OH)₂)‐(ε‐FeOOH) solid solution are sensitive to composition and that the presence of these phases in subducted oceanic crust could be seismically detectable throughout the lower mantle.