The Fe–C–O–H–N system at 6.3–7.8 GPa and 1200–1400 °C: implications for deep carbon and nitrogen cycles

Interactions in a Fe–C–O–H–N system that controls the mobility of siderophile nitrogen and carbon in the Fe⁰-saturated upper mantle are investigated in experiments at 6.3–7.8 GPa and 1200–1400 °C. The results show that the γ-Fe and metal melt phases equilibrated with the fluid in a system unsaturated with carbon and nitrogen are stable at 1300 °C. The interactions of Fe₃C with an N-rich fluid in a graphite-saturated system produce the ε-Fe₃N phase (space group P6₃/mmc or P6₃22) at subsolidus conditions of 1200–1300 °C, while N-rich melts form at 1400 °C. At IW- and MMO-buffered hydrogen fugacity (fH₂), fluids vary from NH₃- to H₂O-rich compositions (NH₃/N₂ > 1 in all cases) with relatively high contents of alkanes. The fluid derived from N-poor samples contains less H₂O and more carbon which mainly reside in oxygenated hydrocarbons, i.e., alcohols and esters at MMO-buffered fH₂ and carboxylic acids at unbuffered fH₂ conditions. In unbuffered conditions, N₂ is the principal nitrogen host (NH₃/N₂ ≤ 0.1) in the fluid equilibrated with the metal phase. Relatively C- and N-rich fluids in equilibrium with the metal phase (γ-Fe, melt, or Fe₃N) are stable at the upper mantle pressures and temperatures. According to our estimates, the metal/fluid partition coefficient of nitrogen is higher than that of carbon. Thus, nitrogen has a greater affinity for iron than carbon. The general inference is that reduced fluids can successfully transport volatiles from the metal-saturated mantle to metal-free shallow mantle domains. However, nitrogen has a higher affinity for iron and selectively accumulates in the metal phase, while highly mobile carbon resides in the fluid phase. This may be a controlling mechanism of the deep carbon and nitrogen cycles.