COMPRES

The Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences (COMPRES ) has several galleries of imagery related to mineral physics and deep earth processes. To browse through all of the image galleries, check out the COMPRES website and look under Publications. Many thanks to Glenn Richard and Robert Lieberman for their help in extract the exemplars shown below.

Imagining Earth's Interior (more info) This image from the COMPRES galleries show a dozen conceptions of the structure of the deep earth. The composite image is by Ed Garnero.

Minerals in Earth's Mantle (more info) This image from the COMPRES galleries shows the various mineral species that make up the composition of the mantle and how that composition varies with depth down to the core-mantle boundary.

Probe Earth's Interior with Advanced Radiation Sources (more info) Visualization of the Earth's interior based on sources of radiation.

Capabilities of Experimental Apparatus (more info) This diagram displays the pressure/temperature conditions capable of being simulated with two types of experimental equipment: Piston-Cylinder and USSA-2000. The ranges of conditions are plotted on a cross section of the deep Earth for comparison.

CVD Anvil (more info) This image is of a diamond anvil used in high pressure deformation experiments. This particular diamond was created using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. These artificial diamonds have been shown to be effective up to 200 GPa pressures.

Links to Mineral Physics (more info) This chart shows how mineral physics can be an important part of both research and education across the geology curriculum.

Poster - New Research Directions in High-Pressure Mineral Physics (more info) Large image showing recent research in mineral physics and advances in technology. Features detailed diagrams of various equipment and a short explanation of mineral physics' goals.

Water in the Mantle (more info) This schematic shows a cross-section of the planet and how water can migrate through the deep interior of the Earth. Blue arrows indicate a movement of water downward, yellow arrows indicated movement towards the surface.

High-Pressure Instrumentation (more info) This diagram associates parts of the Earth's interior with particular kinds of experimental apparatus which can recreate it's pressure and temperature conditions.

Historical Views of the Earth (more info) This composite image shows how conception of the deep interior of the planet has changed over the last ~350 years.

Current and Future Directions in High-Pressure Mineral Physics (more info) The cover of the report "Current and Future Directions in High-Pressure Mineral Physics," showing the layers of the Earth and high-pressure equipment.

DIA-Type Cubic Anvil Apparatus (more info) Conceptual diagram of a DIA-Type Cubic Anvil Apparatus.

The Earth's Mantle (more info) This illustration from Kellog, Hader, and van der Hilst (1999) shows their vision of a chemically stratified mantle perturbed by the downgoing subducted slabs of oceanic lithospere (blue).

D-DIA Apparatus (more info) This image is a schematic of a D-DIA apparatus used for mineral deformation experiments at high temperature and pressure.

Kirscher's Earth Stucture (more info) Athanasius Kircher's 1665 conception of the Earth's interior.

Geotherm with Pressure-Temperature Ranges Accessible by Static Techniques (more info) This graph shows a geotherm together with the temperature and pressure ranges over which certain experimental methods are useful.

Ultrasonic Measurements Under Transition Zone Conditions (more info) This image presents a schematic of the experimental setup used by Wang and Li (2003) to conduct ultrasonic measurements of sample deformation under transition zone conditions.

Mineralogy of Earth's Structure (more info) Cartoon cross section of a subduction zone showing the principal mineralogy of the upper 800 km of Earth's mantle. Arc volcanism at the surface is depicted, as are upper mantle earthquakes (red dots and white diamonds) thought to be the result of dehydration of water-bearing minerals, principally serpentine, and transition zone earthquakes thought to be caused by progressive breakdown of metastable olivine as the down-going slab heats up. .

Pressure-Temperature Conditions Achievable in the Lab (more info) Pressure-temperature conditions achievable in the laboratory for studies of the plastic behavior of materials, in comparison with the conditions inside the Earth [geotherm]

Earth Structure Cutaway (more info) Cutaway drawing of the Earth's structure.