深部地球中的主要物相(橄榄石、辉石、石榴石等及其高压相变产物)是理想化学式中不含H的“名义上无水矿物”,以缺陷形式存在于它们结构中的OH/H2O(统称为结构水)的发现是近二十年来地球科学领域最重要的进展之一。从天然样品的观察和高温高压实验结果来看,深部地球矿物中普遍含有结构水,其总量可能远远超过了水圈。水在深部地球不同层圈中的分布可能具有时间上和空间上的不均一性。在板块俯冲过程中,即使温压条件超过了含水矿物的稳定范围,名义上的无水矿物(如石榴石、辉石等)也可以携带大量的水(质量分数至少数百10-6)进入深部地球,构成了壳幔之间水循环的重要途径。
Anhydrous minerals in the deep earth may contain a certain amounts of “water”, occurring as OH and less commonly H2O. Based on investigations of natural minerals and HP/HT experiments, the estimated water budget in the deep earth is far more than that in the hydrosphere, and the water distribution is suggested to be heterogeneous both spatially and temporally. During plate subduction, even the p-T regime is beyond the stability field of hydrous minerals, nominally anhydrous minerals (garnet, pyroxene, rutil...