Discovery of davemaoite, CaSiO 3 -perovskite, as a mineral from the lower mantle

Abstract

Lower mantle “garbage can” Calcium silicate perovskite has finally been identified in a natural sample and now has the mineral name davemaoite. Tschauner et al . discovered the type mineral trapped at high pressure and temperature as a diamond inclusion (see the Perspective by Fei). Structural and chemical analysis of the mineral showed that it is able to host a wide variety of elements, not unlike fitting bulky objects into garbage can. Specifically, it has a large amount of trapped potassium. Davemaoite can thus host three of the major heat-producing elements (uranium and thorium were previously shown experimentally) affecting heat generation in Earth’s lower mantle. —BG