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.
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
Related authors
No articles found.
Fengping Pang, Jie Liao, Maxim D. Ballmer, and Lun Li
Solid Earth, 14, 353–368, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-353-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-353-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Plume–ridge interaction is an intriguing geological process in plate tectonics. In this paper, we address the respective role of ridgeward vs. plate-drag plume flow in 2D thermomechanical models and compare the results with a compilation of observations on Earth. From a geophysical and geochemical analysis of Earth plumes and in combination with the model results, we propose that the absence of plumes interacting with ridges in the Pacific is largely caused by the presence of plate drag.
Joshua Martin Guerrero, Frédéric Deschamps, Yang Li, Wen-Pin Hsieh, and Paul James Tackley
Solid Earth, 14, 119–135, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-119-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-119-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The mantle thermal conductivity's dependencies on temperature, pressure, and composition are often suppressed in numerical models. We examine the effect of these dependencies on the long-term evolution of lower-mantle thermochemical structure. We propose that depth-dependent conductivities derived from mantle minerals, along with moderate temperature and compositional correction, emulate the Earth's mean lowermost-mantle conductivity values and produce a stable two-pile configuration.
Antonio Manjón-Cabeza Córdoba and Maxim D. Ballmer
Solid Earth, 13, 1585–1605, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1585-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1585-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The origin of many volcanic archipelagos on the Earth remains uncertain. By using 3D modelling of mantle flow and melting, we investigate the interaction between the convective mantle near the continental–oceanic transition and rising hot plumes. We believe that this phenomenon is the origin behind some archipelagos, in particular the Canary Islands. Analysing our results, we reconcile observations that were previously enigmatic, such as the complex patterns of volcanism in the Canaries.
Antonio Manjón-Cabeza Córdoba and Maxim D. Ballmer
Solid Earth, 12, 613–632, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-613-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-613-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The study of intraplate volcanism can inform us about underlying mantle dynamic processes and thermal and/or compositional anomalies. Here, we investigated numerical models of mantle flow and melting of edge-driven convection (EDC), a potential origin for intraplate volcanism. Our most important conclusion is that EDC can only produce moderate amounts of mantle melting. By itself, EDC is insufficient to support the formation of voluminous island-building volcanism over several millions of years.
Daniela Paz Bolrão, Maxim D. Ballmer, Adrien Morison, Antoine B. Rozel, Patrick Sanan, Stéphane Labrosse, and Paul J. Tackley
Solid Earth, 12, 421–437, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-421-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-421-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We use numerical models to investigate the thermo-chemical evolution of a solid mantle during a magma ocean stage. When applied to the Earth, our study shows that the solid mantle and a magma ocean tend toward chemical equilibration before crystallisation of this magma ocean. Our findings suggest that a very strong chemical stratification of the solid mantle is unlikely to occur (as predicted by previous studies), which may explain why the Earth’s mantle is rather homogeneous in composition.
Jana Schierjott, Antoine Rozel, and Paul Tackley
Solid Earth, 11, 959–982, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-959-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-959-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the size of mineral grains of Earth's rocks in computer models of the whole Earth. This is relevant because grain size affects the stiffness (large grains are stiffer) and deformation of the Earth's mantle. We see that mineral grains grow inside stable non-deforming regions of the Earth. However, these regions are less stiff than expected. On the other hand, we find that grain size diminishes during deformation events such as when surface material comes down into the Earth.
Robert I. Petersen, Dave R. Stegman, and Paul J. Tackley
Solid Earth, 8, 339–350, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-8-339-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-8-339-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we propose a dichotomy in the strength profile of tectonic plates. This apparent dichotomy suggests that plates at the Earth's surface are significantly stronger, by orders of magnitude, than the subducted slabs in the Earth's interior. Strong plates promote single-sided, Earth-like subduction. Once subducted, strong slabs transmit dynamic stresses and disrupt subduction. Slabs which are weakened do not disrupt subduction and furthermore exhibit a variety of observed morphologies.
Related subject area
Subject area: Core and mantle structure and dynamics | Editorial team: Geodynamics and quantitative modelling | Discipline: Geodynamics
Quantifying mantle mixing through configurational entropy
On the impact of true polar wander on heat flux patterns at the core–mantle boundary
ECOMAN: an open-source package for geodynamic and seismological modeling of mechanical anisotropy
Modeling liquid transport in the Earth's mantle as two-phase flow: effect of an enforced positive porosity on liquid flow and mass conservation
Transport mechanisms of hydrothermal convection in faulted tight sandstones
Influence of heterogeneous thermal conductivity on the long-term evolution of the lower-mantle thermochemical structure: implications for primordial reservoirs
On the choice of finite element for applications in geodynamics
Comparing global seismic tomography models using varimax principal component analysis
Erik van der Wiel, Cedric Thieulot, and Douwe J. J. van Hinsbergen
Solid Earth, 15, 861–875, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-861-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-861-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Geodynamic models of mantle convection provide a powerful tool to study the structure and composition of the Earth's mantle. Comparing such models with other datasets is difficult. We explore the use of
configurational entropy, which allows us to quantify mixing in models. The entropy may be used to analyse the mixed state of the mantle as a whole and may also be useful to validate numerical models against anomalies in the mantle that are obtained from seismology and geochemistry.
Thomas Frasson, Stéphane Labrosse, Henri-Claude Nataf, Nicolas Coltice, and Nicolas Flament
Solid Earth, 15, 617–637, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-617-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-617-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Heat flux heterogeneities at the bottom of Earth's mantle play an important role in the dynamic of the underlying core. Here, we study how these heterogeneities are affected by the global rotation of the Earth, called true polar wander (TPW), which has to be considered to relate mantle dynamics with core dynamics. We find that TPW can greatly modify the large scales of heat flux heterogeneities, notably at short timescales. We provide representative maps of these heterogeneities.
Manuele Faccenda, Brandon Paul VanderBeek, Albert de Montserrat, Jianfeng Yang, and Neil Ribe
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-299, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-299, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Earth's internal dynamics and structure can be well understood by combining seismological and geodynamic modeling with mineral physics, an approach that has been poorly adopted in the past. To this end we have developed ECOMAN, an open-source software package that is intended to overcome the computationally intensive nature of this multidisciplinary methodology and the lack of a dedicated and comprehensive computational framework.
Changyeol Lee, Nestor G. Cerpa, Dongwoo Han, and Ikuko Wada
Solid Earth, 15, 23–38, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-23-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-23-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fluids and melts in the mantle are key to the Earth’s evolution. The main driving force for their transport is the compaction of the porous mantle. Numerically, the compaction equations can yield unphysical negative liquid fractions (porosity), and it is necessary to enforce positive porosity. However, the effect of such a treatment on liquid flow and mass conservation has not been quantified. We found that although mass conservation is affected, the liquid pathways are well resolved.
Guoqiang Yan, Benjamin Busch, Robert Egert, Morteza Esmaeilpour, Kai Stricker, and Thomas Kohl
Solid Earth, 14, 293–310, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-293-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-293-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The physical processes leading to the kilometre-scale thermal anomaly in faulted tight sandstones are numerically investigated. The fluid-flow pathways, heat-transfer types and interactions among different convective and advective flow modes are systematically identified. The methodologies and results can be applied to interpret hydrothermal convection-related geological phenomena and to draw implications for future petroleum and geothermal exploration and exploitation in analogous settings.
Joshua Martin Guerrero, Frédéric Deschamps, Yang Li, Wen-Pin Hsieh, and Paul James Tackley
Solid Earth, 14, 119–135, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-119-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-119-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The mantle thermal conductivity's dependencies on temperature, pressure, and composition are often suppressed in numerical models. We examine the effect of these dependencies on the long-term evolution of lower-mantle thermochemical structure. We propose that depth-dependent conductivities derived from mantle minerals, along with moderate temperature and compositional correction, emulate the Earth's mean lowermost-mantle conductivity values and produce a stable two-pile configuration.
Cedric Thieulot and Wolfgang Bangerth
Solid Earth, 13, 229–249, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-229-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-229-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
One of the main numerical methods to solve the mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations in geodynamics is the finite-element method. Four main types of elements have been used in the past decades in hundreds of publications. For the first time we compare results obtained with these four elements on a series of geodynamical benchmarks and applications and draw conclusions as to which are the best ones and which are to be preferably avoided.
Olivier de Viron, Michel Van Camp, Alexia Grabkowiak, and Ana M. G. Ferreira
Solid Earth, 12, 1601–1634, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1601-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1601-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
As the travel time of seismic waves depends on the Earth's interior properties, seismic tomography uses it to infer the distribution of velocity anomalies, similarly to what is done in medical tomography. We propose analysing the outputs of those models using varimax principal component analysis, which results in a compressed objective representation of the model, helping analysis and comparison.
Cited articles
Andrault, D., Muñoz, M., Pesce, G., Cerantola, V., Chumakov, A., Kantor,
I., Pascarelli, S., Rüffer, R., and Hennet, L.: Large oxygen excess in
the primitive mantle could be the source of the Great Oxygenation Event,
Geochem. Perspect. Lett., 6, 5–10, https://doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.1801,
2017. a
Armstrong, K., Frost, D. J., McCammon, C. A., Rubie, D. C., and Ballaran,
T. B.: Deep magma ocean formation set the oxidation state of Earth's
mantle, Science, 365, 903–906, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax8376, 2019. a
Badro, J., Siebert, J., and Nimmo, F.: An early geodynamo driven by exsolution
of mantle components from Earth's core, Nature, 536, 326–328,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18594, 2016. a
Ballmer, M. D., Schmerr, N. C., Nakagawa, T., and Ritsema, J.: Compositional
mantle layering revealed by slab stagnation at 1000-km depth, Sci.
Adv., 1, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1500815, 2015. a
Ballmer, M. D., Schumacher, L., Lekic, V., Thomas, C., and Ito, G.:
Compositional layering within the large low shear-wave velocity provinces in
the lower mantle, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 17, 5056–5077,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GC006605, 2016. a, b
Ballmer, M. D., Lourenço, D. L., Hirose, K., Caracas, R., and Nomura, R.:
Reconciling magma-ocean crystallization models with the present-day
structure of the Earth's mantle, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 18,
1–26, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GC006917, 2017b. a, b
Becker, T. W., Kellogg, J. B., and O'Connell, R. J.: Thermal constraints on
the survival of primitive blobs in the lower mantle, Earth Planet.
Sc. Lett., 171, 351–365, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(99)00160-0, 1999. a, b
Bédard, J. H.: Stagnant lids and mantle overturns: Implications for
Archaean tectonics, magmagenesis, crustal growth, mantle evolution, and the
start of plate tectonics, Geosci. Front., 9, 19–49,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2017.01.005, 2018. a, b
Boukaré, C., Ricard, Y., and Fiquet, G.: Thermodynamics of the
MgO-FeO-SiO2 system up to 140 GPa: Application to the crystallization of
Earth's magma ocean, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 120,
6085–6101, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JB011929, 2015. a, b
Bower, D. J., Gurnis, M., and Seton, M.: Lower mantle structure from
paleogeographically constrained dynamic Earth models, Geochem.
Geophy. Geosy., 14, 44–63, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GC004267, 2013. a
Brown, S. M., Elkins-Tanton, L. T., and Walker, R. J.: Effects of magma ocean
crystallization and overturn on the development of 142Nd and 182W isotopic
heterogeneities in the primordial mantle, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 408, 319–330, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.10.025, 2014. a
Cabral, R. A., Jackson, M. G., Rose-Koga, E. F., Koga, K. T., Whitehouse,
M. J., Antonelli, M. A., Farquhar, J., Day, J. M., and Hauri, E. H.:
Anomalous sulphur isotopes in plume lavas reveal deep mantle storage of
Archaean crust, Nature, 496, 490–493, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12020, 2013. a
Caracas, R., Hirose, K., Nomura, R., and Ballmer, M. D.: Melt-crystal density
crossover in a deep magma ocean, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 516,
202–211, https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-010782581, 2019. a
Chauvel, C., Hofmann, A. W., and Vidal, P.: himu-em: The French Polynesian
connection, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 110, 99–119,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(92)90042-T, 1992. a
Coltice, N. and Schmalzl, J.: Mixing times in the mantle of the early Earth
derived from 2-D and 3-D numerical simulations of convection, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 33, 5–8, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027707, 2006. a
Condie, K. C.: A planet in transition: The onset of plate tectonics on Earth
between 3 and 2 Ga?, Geosci. Front., 9, 51–60,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2016.09.001, 2018. a
Corgne, A., Liebske, C., Wood, B. J., Rubie, D. C., and Frost, D. J.: Silicate
perovskite-melt partitioning of trace elements and geochemical signature of a
deep perovskitic reservoir, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 69, 485–496,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2004.06.041, 2005. a
Crameri, F.: Scientific colour-maps, Zenodo [data set],
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1243862, 2018. a
Crameri, F. and Tackley, P. J.: Spontaneous development of arcuate
single-sided subduction in global 3-D mantle convection models with a free
surface, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 119, 5921–5942,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JB010939, 2014. a
Crowhurst, J. C., Brown, J. M., Goncharov, A. F., and Jacobsen, S. D.:
Elasticity of (Mg, Fe)O Through the Spin Transition of Iron in the Lower
Mantle, Science, 319, 451–453, 2008. a
Davaille, A.: Two-layer thermal convection in miscible viscous fluids,
J. Fluid Mech., 379, 223–253, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112098003322,
1999. a
Davies, G. F.: Comment on “Mixing by time-dependent convection” by U.
Christensen, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 98, 405–407,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(90)90041-U, 1990. a
Davies, G. F.: Thermal Evolution of the Mantle, Treatise on Geophysics, 9,
197–216, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-044452748-6.00145-0, 2007. a
Deng, H., Ballmer, M. D., Reinhardt, C., Meier, M. M. M., Mayer, L., Stadel,
J., and Benitez, F.: Primordial Earth Mantle Heterogeneity Caused by the
Moon-forming Giant Impact?, Astrophys. J., 887, 211 pp.,
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab50b9, 2019. a
Deschamps, F., Li, Y., and Tackley, P. J.: Large-Scale Thermo-chemical
Structure of the Deep Mantle: Observations and Models, in: The Earth's
Heterogeneous Mantle: A Geophysical, Geodynamical, and Geochemical
Perspective, Springer, edited by: Khan, A. and Deschamps, F., April, chap. 15,
1–530, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15627-9, 2015. a
Dziewonski, A. M., Lekic, V., and Romanowicz, B. A.: Mantle Anchor Structure:
An argument for bottom up tectonics, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett.,
299, 69–79, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.08.013, 2010. a, b
Elkins-Tanton, L. T.: Linked magma ocean solidification and atmospheric growth
for Earth and Mars, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 271, 181–191,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2008.03.062, 2008. a, b, c
Elkins-Tanton, L. T., Parmentier, E. M., and Hess, P. C.: Magma ocean
fractional crystallization and cumulate overturn in terrestrial planets:
Implications for Mars, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 38, 1753–1771,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2003.tb00013.x, 2003. a
Foley, B. J.: The dependence of planetary tectonics on mantle thermal state:
Applications to early Earth evolution, Philos. T.
R. Soc. A, 376, 20170409,
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2017.0409, 2018. a
French, S. W. and Romanowicz, B.: Broad plumes rooted at the base of the
Earth's mantle beneath major hotspots, Nature, 525, 95–99,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14876, 2015. a
Frost, D. J. and McCammon, C. A.: The Redox State of earth's mantle, Ann.
Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 36, 389–420,
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.36.031207.124322, 2008. a
Fukao, Y. and Obayashi, M.: Subducted slabs stagnant above, penetrating
through, and trapped below the 660 km discontinuity, J. Geophys.
Res.-Sol. Ea., 118, 5920–5938, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JB010466, 2013. a, b
Gamal El Dien, H., Doucet, L. S., Murphy, J. B., and Li, Z. X.: Geochemical
evidence for a widespread mantle re-enrichment 3.2 billion years ago:
implications for global-scale plate tectonics, Sci. Rep., 10, 1–7,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66324-y, 2020. a
Girard, J., Amulele, G., Farla, R., Mohiuddin, A., and Karato, S. I.: Shear
deformation of bridgmanite and magnesiowüstite aggregates at lower
mantle conditions, Science, 351, 144–147, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad3113,
2016. a
Gonnermann, H. M. and Mukhopadhyay, S.: Non-equilibrium degassing and a
primordial source for helium in ocean-island volcanism, Nature, 449,
1037–1040, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06240, 2007. a
Gülcher, A. J. P.: Coupled dynamics and evolution of primordial and recycled
heterogeneity in Earth's lower mantle – Supplement Videos, Zenodo [data set],
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4767426, 2021. a, b, c
Hansen, U. and Yuen, D. A.: Numerical simulations of thermal-chemical
instabilities at the core-mantle boundary, Nature, 334, 237–240, 1988. a
Helffrich, G. R., Ballmer, M. D., and Hirose, K.: Core-Exsolved SiO2 Dispersal
in the Earth's Mantle, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 123,
176–188, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JB014865, 2018a. a
Helffrich, G. R., Shahar, A., and Hirose, K.: Isotopic signature of
core-derived SiO2, Am. Mineral., 103, 1161–1164,
https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2018-6482CCBYNCND, 2018b. a
Hernlund, J. W. and Houser, C.: On the statistical distribution of seismic
velocities in Earth's deep mantle, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 265,
423–437, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2007.10.042, 2008. a
Hernlund, J. W. and Tackley, P. J.: Modeling mantle convection in the
spherical annulus, Phys. Earth Planet. In., 171,
48–54, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pepi.2008.07.037, 2008. a
Herzberg, C. and Rudnick, R.: Formation of cratonic lithosphere: An integrated
thermal and petrological model, Lithos, 149, 4–15,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2012.01.010, 2012. a, b
Herzberg, C., Condie, K., and Korenaga, J.: Thermal history of the Earth and
its petrological expression, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 292,
79–88, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.01.022, 2010. a
Hirose, K., Takafuji, N., Sata, N., and Ohishi, Y.: Phase transition and
density of subducted MORB crust in the lower mantle, Earth Planet.
Sc. Lett., 237, 239–251, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2005.06.035, 2005. a, b
Hirose, K., Morard, G., Sinmyo, R., Umemoto, K., Hernlund, J. W., Helffrich,
G. R., and Labrosse, S.: Crystallization of silicon dioxide and
compositional evolution of the Earth's core, Nature, 543, 99–102,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21367, 2017. a, b
Hirth, G. and Kohlstedt, D. L.: The rheology of the upper mantle wedge: a view
from experimentalists, in: The subduction Factory, edited by: Eiler, J.,
American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C., 2003. a
Hofmann, A. W.: Mantle geochemistry: The message from oceanic volcanism,
Nature, 385, 218–229, https://doi.org/10.1038/385218a0, 1997. a, b, c
Irifune, T. and Ringwood, A. E.: Phase trans formations in subducted oceanic
crust and buoyancy relationships at depths of 600–800 km in the mantle,
Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 117, 101–110, 1993. a
Ito, E. and Takahashi, E.: Melting of peridotite at uppermost lower-mantle
conditions, Nature, 328, 514–517, https://doi.org/10.1038/328514a0, 1987. a
Jackson, M. G., Carlson, R. W., Kurz, M. D., Kempton, P. D., Francis, D., and
Blusztajn, J.: Evidence for the survival of the oldest terrestrial mantle
reservoir, Nature, 466, 853–856, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09287, 2010. a, b
Jenkins, J., Deuss, A., and Cottaar, S.: Converted phases from sharp 1000 km
depth mid-mantle heterogeneity beneath Western Europe, Earth Planet.
Sc. Lett., 459, 196–207, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.11.031, 2017. a, b
Kaminski, E. and Javoy, M.: A two-stage scenario for the formation of the
Earth's mantle and core, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 365, 97–107,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.01.025, 2013. a
Karato, S. I. and Wu, P.: Rheology of the upper mantle: A synthesis, Science,
260, 771–778, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.260.5109.771, 1993. a
Kawai, K., Tsuchiya, T., Tsuchiya, J., and Maruyama, S.: Lost primordial
continents, Gondwana Res., 16, 581–586, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2009.05.012,
2009. a
Kleine, T., Touboul, M., Bourdon, B., Nimmo, F., Mezger, K., Palme, H.,
Jacobsen, S. B., Yin, Q. Z., and Halliday, A. N.: Hf-W chronology of the
accretion and early evolution of asteroids and terrestrial planets,
Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 73, 5150–5188,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2008.11.047, 2009. a
Korenaga, J.: Initiation and evolution of plate tectonics on earth: Theories
and observations, Ann. Rev. Earth Pl. Sc., 41,
117–151, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-050212-124208, 2013. a, b
Labrosse, S., Hernlund, J. W., and Coltice, N.: A crystallizing dense magma
ocean at the base of the Earth's mantle, Nature, 450, 866–869,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06355, 2007. a, b, c
Lenardic, A.: The diversity of tectonic modes and thoughts about transitions
between them, Philos. T. R. Soc. A, 376, 20170416,
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2017.0416, 2018. a
Li, M., McNamara, A. K., and Garnero, E. J.: Chemical complexity of hotspots
caused by cycling oceanic crust through mantle reservoirs, Nat.
Geosci., 7, 366–370, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2120,
2014. a
Li, X.-D. and Romanowicz, B.: Global mantle shear velocity model developed
using nonlinear asymptotic coupling theory, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 101, 22245–22272, https://doi.org/10.1029/96jb01306, 1996. a, b
Li, Y., Deschamps, F., and Tackley, P. J.: The stability and structure of
primordial reservoirs in the lower mantle: Insights from models of
thermochemical convection in three-dimensional spherical geometry,
Geophys. J. Int., 199, 914–930, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggu295,
2014. a, b
Liu, J., Touboul, M., Ishikawa, A., Walker, R. J., and Graham Pearson, D.:
Widespread tungsten isotope anomalies and W mobility in crustal and mantle
rocks of the Eoarchean Saglek Block, northern Labrador, Canada: Implications
for early Earth processes and W recycling, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 448, 13–23, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.05.001, 2016. a
Lourenço, D. L., Rozel, A. B., and Tackley, P. J.: Melting-induced
crustal production helps plate tectonics on Earth-like planets, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 439, 18–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.01.024,
2016. a
Lourenço, D. L., Rozel, A. B., Ballmer, M. D., and Tackley, P. J.:
Plutonic-Squishy Lid: A New Global Tectonic Regime Generated by Intrusive
Magmatism on Earth-Like Planets, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 21, e2019GC008756,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008756, 2020. a
Manga, M.: Mixing of heterogeneities in the mantle: Effect of viscosity
differences, Geophys. Res. Lett., 23, 403–406, https://doi.org/10.1029/96GL00242, 1996. a
Mashino, I., Murakami, M., Miyajima, N., and Petitgirard, S.: Experimental
evidence for silica-enriched Earth's lower mantle with ferrous iron dominant
bridgmanite, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 117,
201917096, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1917096117, 2020. a, b
Mckenzie, D. P., Roberts, J. M., and Weiss, N. O.: Convection in the earth's
mantle: Towards a numerical simulation, J. Fluid Mech., 62,
465–538, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112074000784, 1974. a
McNamara, A. K. and Zhong, S.: Thermochemical structures beneath Africa and
the Pacific Ocean, Nature, 437, 1136–1139, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04066, 2005. a, b
Merveilleux du Vignaux, N. and Fleitout, L.: Stretching and mixing of
viscous blobs in Earth's mantle, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol.
Ea., 106, 30893–30908, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001jb000304, 2001. a
Morgan, J. P. and Morgan, W. J.: Two-stage melting and the geochemical
evolution of the mantle: A recipe for mantle plum-pudding, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 170, 215–239,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(99)00114-4, 1999. a
Mukhopadhyay, S.: Early differentiation and volatile accretion recorded in
deep-mantle neon and xenon, Nature, 486, 101–104,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11141, 2012. a
Mulyukova, E., Steinberger, B., Dabrowski, M., and Sobolev, S. V.: Survival of
LLSVPs for billions of years in a vigorously convecting mantle: Replenishment
and destruction of chemical anomaly, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol.
Ea., 120, 3824–3847, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JB011688, 2015. a, b, c
Murakami, M., Ohishi, Y., Hirao, N., and Hirose, K.: A perovskitic lower
mantle inferred from high-pressure, high-temperature sound velocity data,
Nature, 485, 90–94, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11004, 2012. a, b, c
Nakagawa, T. and Buffett, B. A.: Mass transport mechanism between the upper
and lower mantle in numerical simulations of thermochemical mantle convection
with multicomponent phase changes, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 230,
11–27, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2004.11.005, 2005. a
Nakagawa, T. and Tackley, P. J.: Influence of magmatism on mantle cooling,
surface heat flow and Urey ratio, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett.,
329-330, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.02.011, 2012. a, b, c
Nakagawa, T. and Tackley, P. J.: Influence of combined primordial layering and
recycled MORB on the coupled thermal evolution of Earth's mantle and core,
Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 15, 619–633,
https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.11m07343, 2014. a, b
Nakagawa, T., Tackley, P. J., Deschamps, F., and Connolly, J. A.: The
influence of MORB and harzburgite composition on thermo-chemical mantle
convection in a 3-D spherical shell with self-consistently calculated mineral
physics, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 296, 403–412,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.05.026, 2010. a, b, c, d
O'Neill, C., Lenardic, A., Weller, M., Moresi, L., Quenette, S., and Zhang, S.:
A window for plate tectonics in terrestrial planet evolution?, Phys.
Earth Planet. In., 255, 80–92,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pepi.2016.04.002, 2016. a
O'Neill, C. J. and Zhang, S.: Lateral Mixing Processes in the Hadean, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 123, 7074–7089,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB015698, 2018. a
Ono, S., Ito, E., and Katsura, T.: Mineralogy of subducted basaltic crust
(MORB) from 25 to 37 GPa, and chemical heterogeneity of the lower mantle,
Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 190, 57–63,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(01)00375-2, 2001. a
Pertermann, M. and Hirschmann, M. M.: Partial melting experiments on a
MORB-like pyroxenite between 2 and 3 GPa: Constraints on the presence of
pyroxenite in basalt source regions from solidus location and melting rate,
J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 108, 1–17,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JB000118, 2003. a
Peters, B. J., Carlson, R. W., Day, J. M., and Horan, M. F.: Hadean silicate
differentiation preserved by anomalous 142Nd 144Nd ratios in the
Réunion hotspot source, Nature, 555, 89–93,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25754, 2018. a
Ritsema, J., Van Heijst, H. J., and Woodhouse, J. H.: Complex shear wave
velocity structure imaged beneath Africa and Iceland, Science, 286,
1925–1931, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.286.5446.1925, 1999. a
Rizo, H., Walker, R. J., Carlson, R. W., Horan, M. F., Mukhopadhyay, S.,
Manthos, V., Francis, D., and Jackson, M. G.: Geochemistry: Preservation of
Earth-forming events in the tungsten isotopic composition of modern flood
basalts, Science, 352, 809–812, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad8563, 2016. a
Rizo, H., Andrault, D., Bennett, N. R., Humayun, M., Brandon, A., Vlastelic,
I., Moine, B., Poirier, A., Bouhifd, M. A., and Murphy, D. T.: 182W evidence
for core-mantle interaction in the source of mantle plumes, Geochem.
Perspect. Lett., 11, 6–11, https://doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.1917, 2019. a, b, c, d
Rozel, A. B., Golabek, G. J., Jain, C., Tackley, P. J., and Gerya, T. V.:
Continental crust formation on early Earth controlled by intrusive
magmatism, Nature, 545, 332–335, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22042, 2017. a
Schierjott, J., Rozel, A., and Tackley, P.: On the self-regulating effect of grain size evolution in mantle convection models: application to thermochemical piles, Solid Earth, 11, 959–982, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-959-2020, 2020. a
Shephard, G., Houser, C., Hernlund, J. W., Valencia-Cardona, J., Trønnes,
R. G., and Wentzkovitch, R.: Seismological Expression of the Iron Spin
Crossover in Ferropericlase in the Earth's Lower Mantle,
https://doi.org/10.31223/osf.io/deuck, 2020. a
Solomatov, V. S. and Stevenson, D. J.: Suspension in convective layers and
style of differentiation of a terrestrial magma ocean, J.
Geophys. Res., 98, 5375–5390, https://doi.org/10.1029/92JE02948, 1993. a
Stein, M. and Hofmann, A. W.: Episodic Crustal Growth and Mantle Evolution,
Nature, 372, 63–68, https://doi.org/10.1180/minmag.1994.58a.1.219, 1994. a
Stracke, A.: Earth's heterogeneous mantle: A product of convection-driven
interaction between crust and mantle, Chem. Geol., 330-331, 274–299,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2012.08.007, 2012. a, b
Tackley, P. J.: Self-consistent generation of tectonic plates in
time-dependent, three-dimensional mantle convection simulations 2. strain
weakening and asthenosphere, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 1, 2000GC000043,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2000gc000036, 2000. a, b, c
Tackley, P. J.: Modelling compressible mantle convection with large viscosity
contrasts in a three-dimensional spherical shell using the yin-yang grid,
Phy. Earth Planet. Int., 171, 7–18,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pepi.2008.08.005, 2008. a
Tackley, P. J.: Dynamics and evolution of the deep mantle resulting from
thermal, chemical, phase and melting effects, Earth-Sci. Rev., 110,
1–25, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.10.001, 2012. a, b, c
Tackley, P. J. and King, S. D.: Testing the tracer ratio method for modeling
active compositional fields in mantle convection simulations, Geochem.
Geophy. Geosy., 4, 47907, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001GC000214, 2003. a
Tackley, P. J., Ammann, M. W., Brodholt, J. P., Dobson, D. P., and Valencia,
D.: Mantle dynamics in super-Earths: Post-perovskite rheology and
self-regulation of viscosity, Icarus, 225, 50–61,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2013.03.013, 2013. a, b
Torsvik, T. H., Burke, K., Steinberger, B., Webb, S. J., and Ashwal, L. D.:
Diamonds sampled by plumes from the core-mantle boundary, Nature, 466,
352–355, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09216, 2010. a
Torsvik, T. H., Van Der Voo, R., Doubrovine, P. V., Burke, K., Steinberger,
B., Ashwal, L. D., Trønnes, R. G., Webb, S. J., and Bull, A. L.: Deep
mantle structure as a reference frame for movements in and on the Earth,
P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 111, 8735–8740, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1318135111, 2014. a
Touboul, M., Puchtel, I. S., and Walker, R. J.: 182W Evidence for Long-Term
Preservation of Early Mantle Differentiation Products, Science, 335,
1065–1070, 2012. a
Trampert, J., Deschamps, F., Resovsky, J., and Yuen, D.: Probabilistic
tomography maps chemical heterogeneities throughout the lower mantle,
Science, 306, 853–856, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1101996, 2004. a
Trønnes, R. G., Baron, M., Eigenmann, K., Guren, M., Heyn, B., Løken, A.,
and Mohn, C.: Core formation, mantle differentiation and core-mantle
interaction within Earth and the terrestrial planets, Tectonophysics, 760,
165–198, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2018.10.021, 2019. a, b, c, d
Tsuchiya, T., Tsuchiya, J., Dekura, H., and Ritterbex, S.: Ab Initio Study on
the Lower Mantle Minerals, Ann. Rev. Earth Pl. Sc.,
48, 99–119, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-071719-055139, 2020. a
van der Hilst, R. D., Widiyantoro, S., and Engdahl, E. R.: Evidence for deep
mantle circulation from global tomography, Nature, 386, 578–584,
https://doi.org/10.1038/386578a0, 1997. a
van Hunen, J., Zhong, S., Shapiro, N. M., and Ritzwoller, M. H.: New evidence
for dislocation creep from 3-D geodynamic modeling of the Pacific upper
mantle structure, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 238, 146–155,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2005.07.006, 2005. a
van Keken, P. E. and Ballentine, C. J.: Whole-mantle versus layered mantle
convection and the role of a high-viscosity lower mantle in terrestrial
volatile evolution, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 156, 19–32,
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0012-821x(98)00023-5, 1998. a
Wang, W., Xu, Y., Sun, D., Ni, S., Wentzcovitch, R., and Wu, Z.: Velocity and
density characteristics of subducted oceanic crust and the origin of
lower-mantle heterogeneities, Nat. Commun., 11, 1–8,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13720-2, 2020. a
Wang, W., Liu, J., Zhu, F., Wu, Z., and Dorfman, S. M.: Formation of large low
shear velocity provinces through the decomposition of oxidized mantle,
Nat. Commun., 12, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22185-1, 2021. a
Waszek, L., Schmerr, N. C., and Ballmer, M. D.: Global observations of
reflectors in the mid-mantle with implications for mantle structure and
dynamics, Nat. Commun., 9, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02709-4,
2018. a, b
Wentzcovitch, R. M., Karki, B. B., Cococcioni, M., and de Gironcoli, S.:
Thermoelastic Properties of MgSiO3-Perovskite: Insights on the Nature of the
Earth's Lower Mantle, Phys. Rev. Lett., 92, 018501,
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.018501, 2004. a
Woodhead, J.: Mixing it up in the mantle, Nature, 517, 275–276, 2015. a
Xie, L., Yoneda, A., Yamazaki, D., Manthilake, G., Higo, Y., Tange, Y.,
Guignot, N., King, A., Scheel, M., and Andrault, D.: Formation of
bridgmanite-enriched layer at the top lower-mantle during magma ocean
solidification, Nat. Commun., 11, 1–10,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-14071-8, 2020. a, b, c
Xu, W., Lithgow-Bertelloni, C., Stixrude, L., and Ritsema, J.: The effect of
bulk composition and temperature on mantle seismic structure, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 275, 70–79, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2008.08.012,
2008. a, b, c
Yamazaki, D. and Karato, S. I.: Some mineral physics constraints on the
rheology and geothermal structure of Earth's lower mantle, Am.
Mineral., 86, 385–391, https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2001-0401, 2001. a
Yan, J., Ballmer, M. D., and Tackley, P. J.: The evolution and distribution of
recycled oceanic crust in the Earth's mantle: Insight from geodynamic
models, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 537,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116171, 2020. a, b, c
Yang, T. and Gurnis, M.: Dynamic topography, gravity and the role of lateral
viscosity variations from inversion of global mantle flow, Geophys.
J. Int., 207, 1186–1202, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw335, 2016.
a, b
Zhang, N., Zhong, S., Leng, W., and Li, Z. X.: A model for the evolution of
the Earth's mantle structure since the Early Paleozoic, J.
Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 115, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JB006896,
2010. a, b
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...