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Earth science

Deeper understanding

Nature volume 430, pages 409–410 (2004)Cite this article

The boundary between the core and mantle is one of the most enigmatic regions of Earth's interior. Analyses of a newly discovered crystalline phase should yield a fuller understanding of this region.

The lowermost 250 km or so of Earth's mantle, known for historical reasons as D″, is comparatively small in volume but potentially holds the key to understanding a host of geophysical phenomena — among them the formation of plumes in the mantle, interactions between core and mantle, and the ultimate fate of subducting slabs of crust that are driven into the interior by tectonic forces. Investigations of this region largely depend on interpreting the behaviour of seismic waves, which have shown that it is highly complex. Until recently, however, studies of the region's mineral properties at high pressures and temperatures had been unable to provide satisfying explanations for much of this complexity. Part of the problem is that the extreme conditions in D″ — pressures up to 135 gigapascals and temperatures probably ranging between 2,000 K and 4,000 K — are difficult to reach in the laboratory. However, laboratory experiments and theory are finally coming together to bring this region into sharper focus.

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Figure 1: The principal regions of Earth's interior.
Figure 2: New model for the mantle's base.

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  1. Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, New Jersey, USA

    Thomas S. Duffy

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  1. Thomas S. Duffy
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Duffy, T. Deeper understanding. Nature 430, 409–410 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/430409a

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