Iron spin transition in Earth's mantle.

High-pressure Mössbauer spectroscopy on several compositions across the (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowüstite solid solution confirms that ferrous iron (Fe(2+)) undergoes a high-spin to low-spin transition at pressures and for compositions relevant to the bulk of the Earth's mantle. High-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements document a volume change of 4-5% across the pressure-induced spin transition, which is thus expected to cause seismological anomalies in the lower mantle. The spin transition can lead to dissociation of Fe-bearing phases such as magnesiowüstite, and it reveals an unexpected richness in mineral properties and phase equilibria for the Earth's deep interior.