Abstract
Since the formulation of plate tectonics1, there has been vigorous debate among geophysicists and isotope geochemists concerning the depth extent of mantle flow associated with lithospheric plate motions2–9. Some believed that the flow is confined to the upper mantle2,3,6, others that the flow may penetrate deeper or throughout the mantle4,5,8,9. Recently, it was suggested 9,10 that if the lower mantle convected separately, then it would probably be so hot that it would melt extensively in its upper portion. As there is no evidence for such melting, it was concluded that whole-mantle circulation was more probable. Here I present a related but more robust argument which leads to the same conclusion. I demonstrate that in a layered mantle, the lower mantle would probably have a viscosity two to three orders of magnitude less than the upper mantle, and this is probably incompatible with observational constraints.
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Davies, G. Viscosity structure of a layered convecting mantle. Nature 301, 592–594 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/301592a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/301592a0
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