Excitation of true polar wander by subduction

Details Excitation of true polar wander by subduction Excitation of true polar wander by subduction

Dec 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992natur.360..452s&link_type=abstract

Nature (ISSN 0028-0836), vol. 360, no. 6403, p. 452-454.

Physics

57

Polar Wandering (Geology), Subduction (Geology), Earth Mantle, Liouville Equations, Nonlinear Equations

Scientific paper

The longstanding question of how fast episodes of true polar wander (TPW) can be excited is addressed here by analyzing the impact of the distribution and activity of subduction zones on polar motion. Nonlinear Liouville equations, which allow large excursions of the polar axis to be considered, are used to show that unrealistically fast TPW is excited by subduction episodes unless the lower mantle has a viscosity at least 10 times that of the upper mantle. This need for a viscosity increase with depth in the mantle reinforces the conclusions of previous studies on postglacial rebound and geoid anomalies, theoretical creep laws, and some preliminary results on TPW induced by density anomalies embedded in the mantle. The lower viscosity in the upper mantle means that upper-mantle density anomalies are most effective in exciting TPW. Changes in the pattern of subduction through time may be responsible for both episodes of fast TPW and times of quiescence in polar motion.

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