Potassium partitioning into molten iron alloys at high-pressure: Implications for Earth's core

The partition coefficients of potassium, D_K, between molten sanidine, KAlSi₃O₈, and molten roedderite, K₂Mg₅Si₁₂O₃₀, with FeS-rich alloy and pure Fe metal liquids have been investigated in a multi-anvil press, between 5 and 15 GPa, at a temperature of 2173 K, and at an oxygen fugacity between 0.5 and 3 log units below the iron-wüstite (IW) buffer. No pressure dependence of the D_K coefficients in sulphur-free and sulphur-bearing systems was found within the investigated pressure range. We also observed minor effect of the silicate melt composition for an nbo/t (non-bridging oxygen to tetrahedral cation ratio) higher than 0.8 ± 0.4. In contrast, the partitioning of potassium varies strongly with the metallic phase composition, with an increase of K-solubility in the metallic liquid for high sulphur and oxygen contents. We review all available high-pressure data to obtain reliable D_K coefficients for the interaction between molten silicates and Fe-alloy liquids at pressures and temperatures relevant to those of core formation in a terrestrial magma ocean. The dominant controlling parameters appear to be the temperature and the chemical composition of the metallic phase, with D_K coefficients significantly increased with temperature, and with the sulphur and oxygen contents of the Fe-alloy liquid. Our considerations distinguish two extreme cases, with an S-free or S-bearing iron core, which yield K contents of ∼25 or ∼250 ppm, respectively. These two extreme values have very different consequences for thermal budget models of the Earth's core since its formation.