Incorporation of small molecules in silicate melts may provide an important mechanism for storing noble gases in the deep Earth, yet the means by which chemically inert noble gases enter and are retained in silica-based materials is not understood. High pressure, room temperature sound velocity measurements on silica and natural basalt glasses in different pressure-transmitting media reveal that neon enters the structure of silicate glasses and enhances their elastic strengths, whereas an ethanol-methanol mixture does not. Combined with literature data, we found the incorporation of small molecules into silica and basalt glasses is controlled by the void size distribution of the glass and size of the molecules. Pressure primarily reduces the size of noble gases, thereby increasing their solubilities in silicate melts and glasses.
Yang, H., Gleason, A.E., Tkachev, S.N., Chen, B., Jeanloz, R., Mao, W.L. (2021) Noble gas incorporation into silicate glasses: implications for planetary volatile storage. Geochem. Persp. Let. 17, 1–5. DOI: 10.7185/geochemlet.2105
