Abstract
IT is not yet known whether convection in the Earth's mantle occurs in cells that extend throughout the entire depth of the mantle, or if the upper and lower mantle convect in independent layers; both possibilities seem to be consistent with geochemical and seismologi-cal observations1-4. It is generally accepted, however, that the seismologically observed boundary between the upper and lower mantle at 670 km depth arises from the endothermic phase change, spinel → perovskite + MgO. Here we investigate the results of including this phase change in a model of mantle convection. For realism and to eliminate scaling problems, our calculations use commonly accepted values of geophysical parameters. For a Clapeyron slope y = −2 × 106, a value close to experimental results and theoretical expectations, we observe local intermittent mixing between the upper and lower mantle. Such behaviour may offer a way to reconcile the existence of geophysical evidence for both whole-mantle and layered convection.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dupré, B. & Allègre, C. J. Nature 303, 142–146 (1983).
Allègre, C. J., Hart, S. R. & Minster, J. F. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 66, 177–190 (1983).
Olson, P., Carlson, P. G. & Carlson, R. W. Nature 344, 209–214 (1990).
Jeanloz, R. & Morris, S. A. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 14, 377–415 (1986).
Christensen, U. R. & Yuen, D. A. J. geophys. Res. 89, 4389–4402 (1984).
Christensen, U. R. & Yuen, D. A. J. geophys. Res. 90, 10291–10300 (1985).
Machetel, P. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 1145–1148 (1990).
Boehler, R. & Chopelas, A. Geophys. Res. Lett. (submitted)
Ito, E. & Katsura, T. Geophys. Res. Lett. 16, 425–428 (1989).
Ito, E. & Takahashi, E. J. geophys. Res. 94, 10637–10646 (1989).
Price, G. D., Wall, A. & Parker, S. C. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 328, 391–407 (1989).
Dziewonski, A. M. & Anderson, D. L. Phys. Earth planet. Inter. 25, 297–356 (1981).
Machetel, P. & Yuen, D. A. J. geophys. Res. 94, 10609–10626 (1989).
Houseman, G. Nature 332, 346–349 (1988).
Glatzmaier, G. A., Schubert, G. & Bercovici, D. Nature 347, 274–277 (1990).
Weinstein, S. & Olson, P. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 239–242 (1990).
Dziewonski, A. M. J. geophys. Res. 89, 5929–5952 (1984).
Le Pichon, X. & Huchon, P. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 67, 123–135 (1984).
Ringwood, A. E. & Irifune, T. Nature 331, 131–136 (1988).
Stacey, F. D. Phys. Earth planet. Inter. 15, 341–348 (1977).
Anderson, D. L. Theory of the Earth, 366 (Blackwell Scientific, Boston, 1989).
Hager, B. H. & Richards, M. A. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 328, 309–327 (1989).
Stacey, F. D. & Loper, D. E. Phys. Earth planet. Inter. 53, 167–174 (1988).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Machetel , P., Weber, P. Intermittent layered convection in a model mantle with an endothermic phase change at 670 km. Nature 350, 55–57 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/350055a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/350055a0
This article is cited by
-
Hepatocellular carcinoma: old friends and new tricks
Experimental & Molecular Medicine (2020)
-
Widespread gene duplication and adaptive evolution in the RNA interference pathways of the Drosophila obscura group
BMC Evolutionary Biology (2019)
-
LIP formation and protracted lower mantle upwelling induced by rifting and delamination
Scientific Reports (2018)
-
Venus Interior Structure and Dynamics
Space Science Reviews (2018)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.