Nature 240, 539 - 544 (29 December 1972); doi:10.1038/240539a0

Plume Convection with an Upper-Mantle Temperature Inversion

K. S. DEFFEYES

Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540

Convection driven by temperature differences at phase transitions would be accompanied by a temperature inversion below the asthenosphere. The inversion explains the asthenosphere's low viscosity and low velocity.

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