Thermoelastic and thermodynamic properties of harzburgite-An upper mantle rock

A number of thermoelastic and thermodynamic properties such as compressibilities, specific heat ratio, specific heat capacities, Grüneisen parameters, Debye temperature, the melting temperature, and their dependence on temperature and pressure have been obtained for the harzburgite rock of Oman ophiolite suite. Debye temperature Θ_D and the ratio of the specific heats (γ = frac(C_P, C_V)) are the basic inputs which are determined here by making use of the seismic velocities and the density data. The specific heat capacities C_P and C_V are evaluated from the thermodynamic equations as well as from the Debye theory. These data along with the computed values of compressibilities have been used to evaluate the Grüneisen parameter and its dependence on temperature through thermodynamic and acoustic relations. The computed values of the Debye temperature has also been found very helpful to estimate the melting temperature of the rock whose pressure dependence is analyzed following the Clausius-Clapeyron equation.