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Published April 21, 1988 | public
Journal Article

Large-scale mantle convection and the aggregation and dispersal of supercontinents

Abstract

The first time-dependent numerical simulations of continental aggregation and dispersal demonstrate a dynamic feedback between the motion of continental plates and mantle convection. Plate velocity is intrinsically episodic. Continental plates aggregate over cold downwellings and inhibit subduction and mantle cooling; the mantle overheats and fragments the continent under tension. Overall, the models are in agreement with the present geophysical state of the mantle and the geological record over the last 200 million years.

Additional Information

© 1988 Nature Publishing Group. Received 20 November 1987; accepted 7 March 1988. Discussions and valuable reviews were provided by Don Anderson and Bradford Hager. The work was supported by the NSF and a grant from the Ametek Corporation. Computing was carried out on the facilities of the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 23, 2023