Abstract
The seismic low-velocity zone has been thought to correspond to a zone of partial melting that significantly reduces the creep strength, making it possible for the plates to decouple from the underlying mantle1,2. This view is examined here in light of recent experimental results which show that water has more effect on the creep strength of olivine3–6 than does partial melting7,8 and that the former depends on the fugacity of water5,6. When there is a limited amount of water, partial melting will result in depletion of water from olivine, and therefore have a hardening, rather than a softening, effect.
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Karato, S. Does partial melting reduce the creep strength of the upper mantle?. Nature 319, 309–310 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/319309a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/319309a0
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