Elevated melting temperature and superionic transition of H2O ice

Meryem Berrada; Keng-Hsien Chao; Siheng Wang; Dongzhou Zhang; Vitali Prakapenka; Stella Chariton; Young Jay Ryu; Bin Chen

doi:10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2025.100154

The Innovation Geoscience > 2025 Vol. 3 > No. 3 > 100154

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Elevated melting temperature and superionic transition of H₂O ice

1.
Hawai’i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu 96822, USA
2.
Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago 60637, USA

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Corresponding authors: berrada@hawaii.edu (M.B.); binchen@hawaii.edu (B.C.)
Received Date: November 16, 2024

Accepted Date: August 15, 2025

Published Online: August 20, 2025

The Innovation Geoscience 3(3), https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2025.100154 | Cite this article

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1. Superionic body-centered-cubic ice forms at ~9.5 GPa, a lower pressure than previously expected.
  
  Diamond anvil cell experiments mapped the elevated melting boundary of H₂O ice.
  
  Superionic ice in cold subducting slabs may affect deep Earth processes and contribute to deep earthquakes.

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ABSTRACT

Subduction of oceanic lithosphere effectively transports substantial amounts of water deep into the Earth, altering the properties of the surrounding mantle minerals and facilitating chemical interactions between the subducting lithosphere and mantle. Ice-VII is considered the stable phase of H₂O released from minerals within the cold subducting slabs by progressive dehydration. This study investigates the melting boundary of high-pressure ices and the transformation of ice-VII to superionic (SI) states under the specific pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions of subducting slabs. We conducted X-ray diffraction measurements on H₂O phases up to 42 GPa and 1400 K using a newly developed externally-heated diamond anvil cell system with precise P-T control. The experiments confirm the elevated melting temperature of high-pressure ice starting at 9.5 GPa, likely due to the appearance of SI body-centered cubic ice phase. The phase diagram of H₂O, particularly the elevated melting temperatures and transition to SI state, provides crucial insights into the role of water in cold subducting slabs and its possible association with deep-seated seismic activity and mantle dynamics.
- high-pressure /
- ice VII /
- SI-bcc ice /
- phase diagram of ice /
- diamond anvil cell

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Berrada M., Chao K.-H., Wang S., et al. (2025). Elevated melting temperature and superionic transition of H2O ice. The Innovation Geoscience 3:100154. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2025.100154

Berrada M., Chao K.-H., Wang S., et al. (2025). Elevated melting temperature and superionic transition of H₂O ice. The Innovation Geoscience 3:100154. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2025.100154

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Elevated melting temperature and superionic transition of H₂O ice

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