Published October 22, 2005
| Published
Journal Article
Open
Metastable superplumes and mantle compressibility
- Creators
- Tan, Eh
-
Gurnis, Michael
Abstract
Seismically, the African superplume is known to have a sharp lateral transition in V_S and an interface between seismic anomalies with high relief. Such a structure is usually unstable in conventional thermo-chemical convection models. Using a compressible thermo-chemical convection model in which each material has a distinct equation of state, we find an expanded regime of metastable superplumes. In the preferred model, superplume material has a bulk modulus 6% higher and density 2.25% higher than ambient mantle. The inferred physical properties of the superplume are consistent with subducted oceanic crust, simultaneously satisfying seismological, geodynamical, mineralogical and geochemical constraints.
Additional Information
© 2005 American Geophysical Union. Received 25 July 2005; accepted 19 September 2005; published 22 October 2005. We thank Don Helmberger for continuous discussion during the course of this work. This work has been supported by the National Science Foundation CSEDI program and represents Contribution number 9120 of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology.Attached Files
Published - 2005_TanGurnis_GRL.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 35548
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20121119-135002294
- NSF CSEDI
- Created
-
2012-11-19Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Seismological Laboratory
- Other Numbering System Name
- Caltech Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
- Other Numbering System Identifier
- 9120