Abbreviations; 1 Introduction; Reference; 2 General Physical and Chemical Models of the Earth's Lower Mantle; Abstract; 2.1 General; 2.2 Seismic Velocities in the Lower Mantle; 2.3 Density Profile; 2.4 Compositional Models and Chemical Homogeneity/Heterogeneity of the Lower Mantle; 2.5 Geotherm; 2.6 Liquidus and Solidus of Mantle Material; 2.7 Oxidation Potential in the Lower Mantle; 2.7.1 General; 2.7.2 Oxygen Fugacity Conditions of the Formation of Natural Ferropericlase; 2.7.3 Oxygen Fugacity Conditions in the Lower Mantle; 2.8 Conclusions; References

3 Lower-Mantle Mineral AssociationsAbstract; 3.1 General; 3.2 Experimental Data; 3.2.1 Early Techniques; 3.2.2 Diamond Anvil Cell (DAC) and Multi-anvil Cell Apparatus with Sintered Diamond (SD) Anvil Techniques; 3.2.3 Composition of the Lower Mantle According to Experimental Data; 3.3 Computational Simulations; 3.3.1 General; 3.3.2 First-Principles Approximations; 3.3.3 Ab Initio Methods; 3.3.4 Density Functional Theory (DFT); 3.3.5 Composition of the Lower Mantle According to Theoretical Calculations; 3.4 Lower-Mantle Minerals in the Terrestrial Environment; 3.4.1 General

3.4.2 South Africa and South Australia3.4.3 Brazil; 3.4.4 Guinea; 3.4.5 Canada; 3.4.6 Other Suggested Finds; 3.5 Lower-Mantle Mineral Associations; 3.5.1 General; 3.5.2 Ultramafic Mineral Association; 3.5.3 Mafic Mineral Association; 3.5.4 Carbonatitic Association; 3.6 Conclusions; References; 4 Ultramafic Lower-Mantle Mineral Association; Abstract; 4.1 General; 4.2 Bridgmanite (Mg,Fe)SiO3; 4.2.1 General; 4.2.2 Chemical Composition of Natural Bridgmanite; 4.2.3 Crystal Structure of Bridgmanite; 4.2.4 Physical Properties; 4.3 Periclase-Wüstite Solid Solution Phases (Mg,Fe)O; 4.3.1 General

4.3.2 Chemical Composition of Natural (Mg,Fe)O4.3.3 Crystal Structure and Phase Transitions of Ferropericlase-Magnesiowüstite at High Pressures and Temperatures; 4.3.4 Physical Properties of Ferropericlase-Magnesiowüstite; 4.4 Iron Partitioning Between Bridgmanite and Ferropericlase; 4.4.1 General; 4.4.2 Experimental Works on Partitioning of Iron Between Bridgmanite and Ferropericlase; 4.4.3 Natural Samples; 4.4.4 Partition Coefficient of Iron in Natural Bridgmanite-Ferropericlase Assemblages; 4.4.5 Role of Ni and Al in the Iron Partition Coefficient Distribution

4.4.6 Regional Differences in the Distribution of Iron in Ferropericlase and Bridgmanite4.4.7 Major Differences in Iron Partitioning Between Natural Samples and Mineral Physics Results; 4.4.8 Conclusions; 4.5 CaSiO3 Perovskite; 4.5.1 General; 4.5.2 Chemical Composition of Natural CaSiO3 Perovskite; 4.5.3 Crystal Structures and Phase Transitions; 4.5.4 Physical Properties; 4.6 Silica SiO2; 4.6.1 General; 4.6.2 Phase Transitions in Silica at High Pressures and Temperatures; 4.6.3 Physical Properties; 4.6.4 Origin of Silica Polymorphs in the Lower-Mantle Ultramafic Association