Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-421-2021
© 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-12-421-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Feb 2021
Research article |
| 22 Feb 2021
| 22 Feb 2021
Timescales of chemical equilibrium between the convecting solid mantle and over- and underlying magma oceans
Daniela Paz Bolrão
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Maxim D. Ballmer
Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Adrien Morison
University of Exeter, Physics and Astronomy, EX4 4QL Exeter, UK
Antoine B. Rozel
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Patrick Sanan
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Stéphane Labrosse
Université de Lyon, ENSL, UCBL, Laboratoire LGLTPE, 15 parvis René Descartes, BP7000, 69342 Lyon, CEDEX 07, France
Paul J. Tackley
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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This study introduces a new way to track Earth’s surface and other boundaries in computer models of the planet’s interior. It replaces noisy, tracer-based methods with a technique that cleanly follows surfaces while conserving volume. The approach produces smoother, more accurate results in both 2D and 3D, reduces dependence on large numbers of tracers, and supports future links between deep Earth processes, oceans, and surface environments.
Timothy Stephen Gray, Paul James Tackley, and Taras Gerya
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Matteo Desiderio, Anna Johanna Pia Gülcher, and Maxim Dionys Ballmer
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Lava samples and seismic signals show that Earth's lower mantle is not well-mixed, but how this heterogeneity relates to the mantle's long-term history remains unclear. We study this with computer simulations of secular movements of masses in the mantle, with various materials to represent recycled and ancient rocks with different properties. We find that deep strong piles of recycled rock can help large ancient blobs survive, linking current deep-Earth observations to Earth's earliest infancy.
Timothy Stephen Gray, Paul James Tackley, and Taras Gerya
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Paul James Tackley
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 8651–8662, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-8651-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-8651-2025, 2025
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Tracers are commonly used in geodynamical models to track various quantities as material moves around. However, methods used to advect them typically do not respect the mass conservation equation, resulting in gaps and bunches in the tracer distribution. Here a method to correct this, based on nudging tracer positions in order to respect mass conservation, is presented. Tests show that it is effective and has a low computational cost.
Paul James Tackley
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 7389–7397, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-7389-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-7389-2025, 2025
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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
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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.
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
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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
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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.
Thomas Frasson, Stéphane Labrosse, Henri-Claude Nataf, and Nicolas Coltice
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1172, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1172, 2022
Preprint archived
Short summary
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We used the results of a global 3d mantle convection model showing plate-like behaviour to study the heat flux at the base of the mantle and the wandering of the pole due to masses displacement inside the Earth during mantle convection. Subduction zones and continents are driving this wandering by maintaining themselves close to the equator, which translates in high equatorial heat flux patches in the lower mantle. The dominant heat flux patterns can be related to surface plate-tectonics.
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
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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.
Anna Johanna Pia Gülcher, Maxim Dionys Ballmer, and Paul James Tackley
Solid Earth, 12, 2087–2107, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2087-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2087-2021, 2021
Short summary
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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.
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
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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.
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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.
We use numerical models to investigate the thermo-chemical evolution of a solid mantle during a...
