CaltechAUTHORS
Published February 25, 1993 | Version public
Journal Article Metadata-only

Effects of an Endothermic Phase-Transition at 670 km Depth in a Spherical Model of Convection in the Earth's Mantle

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon California Institute of Technology
  • 2. ROR icon Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • 3. ROR icon University of California, Los Angeles

Abstract

Numerical modelling of mantle convection in a spherical shell with an endothermic phase change at 670 km depth reveals an inherently three-dimensional flow pattern, containing cylindrical plumes and linear sheets which behave differently in their ability to penetrate the phase change. The dynamics are dominated by accumulation of downwelling cold material above 670 km depth, resulting in frequent avalanches of upper-mantle material into the lower mantle. This process generates long-wavelength lateral heterogeneity, helping to resolve the contradiction between seismic tomographic observations and expectations from mantle convection simulations.

Additional Information

© 1993 Nature Publishing Group. Published 25 February 1993; Received 30 November 1992; accepted 29 January 1993. We thank W.R. Peltier, D.L. Anderson, D.A. Yuen, M. Gurnis, V. Solomatov and the participants of the Los Alamos Mantle Convection Workshop for discussions, U. Christensen for his review and H.X. Qian for photographic assistance. The Intel Touchstone Delta System was operated by the California Institute of Technology on behalf of the Concurrent Supercomputing Consortium. Access to this facility was provided by the Institute. P.T. thanks the NSF for financial support.

Additional details

Identifiers

Eprint ID
42575
DOI
10.1038/361699a0
Resolver ID
CaltechAUTHORS:20131119-133429121

Funding

NSF

Dates

Created
2013-11-19
Created from EPrint's datestamp field
Updated
2023-10-25
Created from EPrint's last_modified field

Caltech Custom Metadata

Caltech groups
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences (GPS)