Sluggish thermochemical basal mantle structures support their long-lived stability
Zhidong Shi, Ross N Mitchell, Yang Li, Bo Wan, Ling Chen, Peng Peng, Liang Zhao, Lijun Liu, Rixiang Zhu · 2024
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Description
Zhidong Shi and co-authors present a 2024 study on two giant structures sitting at the base of Earth's mantle. These provinces, where seismic waves slow down, are the largest features inside the planet, yet their age and origin are debated. Geology hints they have stayed put for at least 200 million years.
The team simulated mantle convection with plate-like motion. Their model grew a Pacific-style ring of sinking material and two opposite basal piles resembling the real provinces. If the piles are chemical as well as hot, they creep about four times slower than the surrounding mantle. If purely hot, they move at normal speed. The sluggish chemical version fits the long stability that the geology suggests.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Zhidong Shi, Ross N Mitchell, Yang Li, Bo Wan, Ling Chen, Peng Peng, Liang Zhao, Lijun Liu, Rixiang Zhu |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2024 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 27 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |