Sound velocity of eclogite at high pressures and implications for detecting eclogitization in subduction zones

Abstract

The increased velocity associated with decaying seismicity in the subducting oceanic crust usually has been attributed to its eclogitization. However, the degree of the eclogitization of subducting oceanic crust at depth remains unclear due to the lack of velocity data for eclogite at pressures of >3 GPa. In this study, the P- and S-wave velocities of eclogite aggregates composed of omphacite and garnet (Omp100, Omp80Grt20, and Omp50Grt50) were measured simultaneously at pressures of up to 8 GPa using ultrasonic interferometry. The velocities of the eclogite aggregates increased with rising pressure and garnet content. By determining the velocities at different pressures using the finite strain equation, the elastic moduli of the eclogites and their pressure derivatives were determined to be KS0 = 119−134 GPa, KS0′ = 5.2−5.3, G0 = 73−80 GPa, and G0′ = 1.5−1.6. The high-wave velocity and low VP/VS ratio of the eclogites, combined with the seismic tomography and seismicity distribution, jointly constrain the depth and composition of eclogitization in the subducted oceanic crust of Northeast Japan, and a new 1-D velocity structure is proposed. We also compiled and calculated the depth of the eclogitization and the garnet content of the subducting oceanic crusts in 27 typical locations around the Pacific Ocean. The depth of the eclogitization was positively correlated with the age of the subduction zone, and the garnet content was estimated to be 12%−32% in our model.