Serpentines, talc, chlorites, and their high-pressure phase transitions: a Raman spectroscopic study

Raman spectra of magnesian phyllosilicates belonging to the serpentine, talc, and chlorite groups have been obtained at ambient conditions, and at high pressures and up to 200 °C in order to study high-pressure transformations in the 10 GPa range. The complex and distinct Raman spectra of these minerals allow straightforward identification, which may otherwise be difficult from optical microscopy. High-pressure measurements are in good agreement with DFT calculations for talc and lizardite. Pressure-induced displacive modifications are identified in lizardite and antigorite serpentines, and in chlorite at ~4, 7 and 8 GPa, respectively, while talc shows no transition up to ~11 GPa. At high temperature, the high-pressure distortions of serpentines shift to higher pressures. Given the stability limits of these minerals, and the natural range of P–T conditions, none of the high-pressure distortions observed at high pressure are likely to occur at depth in the Earth.