A review of laboratory measurements of the electrical conductivity of rocks and minerals

Abstract The use of laboratory measurements of electrical conductivity for rocks and minerals at high temperatures and pressures helps us to interpret magnetotelluric measurements and allows us to obtain further information about various physical and mineralogical properties of the Earth's interior. A survey of recent laboratory measurements of electrical conductivity of rocks and minerals at high temperatures and pressures is outlined. The method and results of estimating the probable depth distribution of electrical conductivity based on the temperature dependence of conductivity and the depth distribution of temperature are briefly presented. Results of some comparisons of magnetotelluric measurements with laboratory results are also presented. As we usually make measurements on dry samples, laboratory results are in good agreement with magnetotelluric soundings for depths below ∼ 30 km, but apparently differ above ∼ 20 km. Some of our results concerning the effect of various factors on measured values of conductivity are discussed. The influence of pressure, atmosphere used during measurements, duration of measurements, chemical composition, and difference between d.c. and a.c. conductivity is demonstrated by consideration of the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity of the hydrous mineral tourmaline.

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