Articles | Volume 12, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2087-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2087-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
14 Sep 2021
Research article |
| 14 Sep 2021
| 14 Sep 2021
Coupled dynamics and evolution of primordial and recycled heterogeneity in Earth's lower mantle
Anna Johanna Pia Gülcher
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Invited contribution by Anna Johanna Pia Gülcher, recipient of the EGU Geodynamics Outstanding Student Poster and PICO Award 2019.
Maxim Dionys Ballmer
Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK
Institute of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Paul James Tackley
Institute of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Cited
27 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Variational Feature Extraction in Scientific Visualization N. Daßler & T. Günther
- Defining Earth's elusive thermal budget in the presence of a hidden reservoir A. Ferrick & J. Korenaga
- Seismic reflectors in the mid-lower mantle beneath central Pacific: The relationship with the Pacific LLSVP S. Kaneshima
- Narrow, Fast, and “Cool” Mantle Plumes Caused by Strain‐Weakening Rheology in Earth's Lower Mantle A. Gülcher et al.
- Survival of Asteroid-sized Debris from the Moon-forming Impactor in Earth’s Deep Mantle with Implications for Its Solar System Provenance Q. Yuan
- Full-waveform inversion reveals diverse origins of lower mantle positive wave speed anomalies T. Schouten et al.
- The Composition of Earth's Lower Mantle M. Murakami et al.
- Carbon isotope composition of basalts from Loihi Seamount: Primordial or recycled carbon in the Hawaiian mantle plume? D. Graham et al.
- Ancient felsic sediments recycled through the deep mantle by plate tectonics B. Peters et al.
- Quantifying mantle mixing through configurational entropy E. van der Wiel et al.
- Primordial-material preservation and Earth lower mantle structure: the influence of recycled oceanic crust M. Desiderio et al.
- Dynamics and Evolution of Venus’ Mantle Through Time T. Rolf et al.
- Modelling 4.5 billion years of Earth’s thermal evolution: Insights from core-mantle coupling, lithospheric viscosity, grain-size-dependent rheology, and surface boundary conditions P. Glišović & A. Braun
- Unique composition and evolutionary histories of large low velocity provinces J. Panton et al.
- Earth’s mantle composition revealed by mantle plumes D. Weis et al.
- Geodynamic and Isotopic Constraints on the Genesis of Kimberlites, Lamproites and Related Magmas From the Finnish Segment of the Karelian Craton H. Dalton et al.
- Present-day Earth mantle structure set up by crustal pollution of the basal magma ocean M. Ballmer et al.
- Deciphering the deep Earth heterogeneities from the temperature fluctuation of mantle plumes H. Liu et al.
- A Thermal Origin of LLSVP Seismic Signals? Consequences of Perovskite Phase Mixing in the Deep Lower Mantle J. Muir et al.
- Variation in bridgmanite grain size accounts for the mid-mantle viscosity jump H. Fei et al.
- Benchmarking the accuracy of higher-order particle methods in geodynamic models of transient flow R. Gassmöller et al.
- Compositional heterogeneity in the mantle transition zone S. Goes et al.
- Continental Magmatism: The Surface Manifestation of Dynamic Interactions Between Cratonic Lithosphere, Mantle Plumes and Edge‐Driven Convection T. Duvernay et al.
- Linking rates of slab sinking to long-term lower mantle flow and mixing E. van der Wiel et al.
- Barium isotopes reveal widespread recycled oceanic crust in the deep mantle J. Yao et al.
- Decoupling of short-lived radiogenic and helium isotopes in the Marquesas hotspot M. Herret et al.
- The Stability of Dense Oceanic Crust Near the Core‐Mantle Boundary J. Panton et al.
27 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Variational Feature Extraction in Scientific Visualization N. Daßler & T. Günther
- Defining Earth's elusive thermal budget in the presence of a hidden reservoir A. Ferrick & J. Korenaga
- Seismic reflectors in the mid-lower mantle beneath central Pacific: The relationship with the Pacific LLSVP S. Kaneshima
- Narrow, Fast, and “Cool” Mantle Plumes Caused by Strain‐Weakening Rheology in Earth's Lower Mantle A. Gülcher et al.
- Survival of Asteroid-sized Debris from the Moon-forming Impactor in Earth’s Deep Mantle with Implications for Its Solar System Provenance Q. Yuan
- Full-waveform inversion reveals diverse origins of lower mantle positive wave speed anomalies T. Schouten et al.
- The Composition of Earth's Lower Mantle M. Murakami et al.
- Carbon isotope composition of basalts from Loihi Seamount: Primordial or recycled carbon in the Hawaiian mantle plume? D. Graham et al.
- Ancient felsic sediments recycled through the deep mantle by plate tectonics B. Peters et al.
- Quantifying mantle mixing through configurational entropy E. van der Wiel et al.
- Primordial-material preservation and Earth lower mantle structure: the influence of recycled oceanic crust M. Desiderio et al.
- Dynamics and Evolution of Venus’ Mantle Through Time T. Rolf et al.
- Modelling 4.5 billion years of Earth’s thermal evolution: Insights from core-mantle coupling, lithospheric viscosity, grain-size-dependent rheology, and surface boundary conditions P. Glišović & A. Braun
- Unique composition and evolutionary histories of large low velocity provinces J. Panton et al.
- Earth’s mantle composition revealed by mantle plumes D. Weis et al.
- Geodynamic and Isotopic Constraints on the Genesis of Kimberlites, Lamproites and Related Magmas From the Finnish Segment of the Karelian Craton H. Dalton et al.
- Present-day Earth mantle structure set up by crustal pollution of the basal magma ocean M. Ballmer et al.
- Deciphering the deep Earth heterogeneities from the temperature fluctuation of mantle plumes H. Liu et al.
- A Thermal Origin of LLSVP Seismic Signals? Consequences of Perovskite Phase Mixing in the Deep Lower Mantle J. Muir et al.
- Variation in bridgmanite grain size accounts for the mid-mantle viscosity jump H. Fei et al.
- Benchmarking the accuracy of higher-order particle methods in geodynamic models of transient flow R. Gassmöller et al.
- Compositional heterogeneity in the mantle transition zone S. Goes et al.
- Continental Magmatism: The Surface Manifestation of Dynamic Interactions Between Cratonic Lithosphere, Mantle Plumes and Edge‐Driven Convection T. Duvernay et al.
- Linking rates of slab sinking to long-term lower mantle flow and mixing E. van der Wiel et al.
- Barium isotopes reveal widespread recycled oceanic crust in the deep mantle J. Yao et al.
- Decoupling of short-lived radiogenic and helium isotopes in the Marquesas hotspot M. Herret et al.
- The Stability of Dense Oceanic Crust Near the Core‐Mantle Boundary J. Panton et al.
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 16 May 2026
Short summary
The lower mantle extends from 660–2890 km depth, making up > 50 % of the Earth’s volume. Its composition and structure, however, remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigate several hypotheses with computer simulations of mantle convection that include different materials: recycled, dense rocks and ancient, strong rocks. We propose a new integrated style of mantle convection including
piles,
blobs, and
streaksthat agrees with various observations of the deep Earth.
The lower mantle extends from 660–2890 km depth, making up 50 % of the Earth’s volume. Its...
