Journal article icon

Journal article

How to assess similarities and differences between mantle circulation models and Earth using disparate independent observations

Abstract:

Mantle circulation in the Earth acts to remove heat from its interior and is thus a critical driver of our planet’s internal and surface evolution. Numerical mantle circulation models (MCMs) driven by plate motion history allow us to model relevant physical and chemical processes and help answer questions related to mantle properties and circulation. Predictions from MCMs can be tested using a variety of observations.

Here, we illustrate how the combination of many disparate observations leads to constraints on mantle circulation across space and time. We present this approach by first describing the setup of the example test MCM, including the parameterisation of melting, and the methodology used to obtain elastic Earth models. We subsequently describe different constraints, that either provide information about present-day mantle (e.g. seismic velocity structure and surface deflection) or its temporal evolution (e.g. geomagnetic reversal frequency, geochemical isotope ratios and temperature of upper mantle sampled by lavas). We illustrate the information that each observation provides by applying it to a single MCM. In future work, we will apply these observational constraints to a large number of MCMs, which will allow us to address questions related to Earth-like mantle circulation.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

Actions


Access Document


Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1098/rspa.2024.0827

Authors



More from this funder
Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/02b5d8509
Grant:
RG.EVEA.118378
NE/T012684/1


Publisher:
Royal Society
Journal:
Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences More from this journal
Volume:
481
Article number:
20240827
Publication date:
2025-06-11
Acceptance date:
2025-05-09
DOI:
EISSN:
1471-2946
ISSN:
1364-5021


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
2123055
Local pid:
pubs:2123055
Deposit date:
2025-05-12

Terms of use



Views and Downloads






If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record

TO TOP