The evolution of melt segregation in deforming partially molten olivine-rich rocks has been studied in a series of laboratory experiments. During deformation, melt segregates into networks of anastamosing channels (or ‘bands’) surrounding lenses of melt-depleted material. We quantify the nature of the melt distribution in the samples, including thickness, angle, spacing, volume fraction, and melt fraction of melt-rich bands, to understand the dynamics of melt-network organization. Two series of experiments were designed to isolate the effects of (1) increasing shear strain (at similar stress levels), and (2) varying stress levels (deformed to similar shear strains). Melt-rich bands develop by a shear strain of unity. In samples deformed at varying stress levels, higher stress produces smaller characteristic band spacings. We relate these variations to the compaction length, δ_c, which varies only as a result of the reduction of matrix viscosity with increasing stress. Simple approaches to scaling from experimental to mantle conditions suggest that stress-driven melt segregation can occur in the asthenosphere; if so, it will significantly affect rheological, transport and seismic properties, with enticing consequences for our understanding of plate–mantle interactions.

The first report of water/hydrolytic weakening of silicate minerals was based on the observation that the strength of quartz decreases significantly in the presence of the water released from talc, the confining medium used in some of high-pressure experiments (Blacic and Griggs 1965). Subsequently, a number of researchers have studied this important phenomenon in several different minerals. Publications examining the influence of water or protons on the creep behavior of nominally anhydrous silicate minerals are listed in Table 1¹. Initial studies treated the water-weakening phenomenon as an on-off process; that is, minerals and rocks are weak under hydrous...

Plastic deformation of olivine at relatively low temperatures (i.e., low‐temperature plasticity) likely controls the strength of the lithospheric mantle in a variety of geodynamic contexts. Unfortunately, laboratory estimates of the strength of olivine deforming by low‐temperature plasticity vary considerably from study to study, limiting confidence in extrapolation to geological conditions. Here we present the results of deformation experiments on olivine single crystals and aggregates conducted in a deformation‐DIA at confining pressures of 5 to 9 GPa and temperatures of 298 to 1473 K. These results demonstrate that, under conditions in which low‐temperature plasticity is the dominant deformation mechanism, fine‐grained samples are stronger at yield than coarse‐grained samples, and the yield stress decreases with increasing temperature. All samples exhibited significant strain hardening until an approximately constant flow stress was reached. The magnitude of the increase in stress from the yield stress to the flow stress was independent of grain size and temperature. Cyclical loading experiments revealed a Bauschinger effect, wherein the initial yield strength is higher than the yield strength during subsequent cycles. Both strain hardening and the Bauschinger effect are interpreted to result from the development of back stresses associated with long‐range dislocation interactions. We calibrated a constitutive model based on these observations, and extrapolation of the model to geological conditions predicts that the strength of the lithosphere at yield is low compared to previous experimental predictions but increases significantly with increasing strain. Our results resolve apparent discrepancies in recent observational estimates of the strength of the oceanic lithosphere.

To investigate the mechanism that produces the crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) characteristic of sheared partially molten rocks of mantle composition, we analyzed the microstructures of samples of olivine plus 7% basaltic melt deformed in torsion to shear strains as large as γ = 13.3. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) observations reveal a CPO characterized by a weak a-c girdle in the shear plane that develops by γ ≈ 4. This CPO, which exhibits a slightly stronger alignment of [001] than [100] axes in the shear direction, changes little in both strength and distribution with increasing stress and with increasing strain. Furthermore, it is significantly weaker than the CPO observed for dry, melt-free olivine aggregates. Orientation maps correlated with grain shape measurements from tangential, radial, and transverse sections indicate that olivine grains are longer along [001] axes than along [100] axes and shortest along [010] axes. This morphology is similar to that of olivine grains in a mafic melt. We conclude that the weak a-c girdle observed in sheared partially molten rocks reflects contributions from two processes. Due to their shape preferred orientation (SPO), grains rotate to align their [001] axes parallel to the flow direction. At the same time, dislocation glide on the (010)[100] slip system rotates [100] axes into the flow direction. The presence of this CPO in partially molten regions of the upper mantle significantly impacts the interpretation of seismic anisotropy and kinematics of flow.