The effect of internal heating on plate dynamics in planetary mantle convection

Physics

Scientific paper

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[5430] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Interiors, [5475] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Tectonics, [8120] Tectonophysics / Dynamics Of Lithosphere And Mantle: General

Scientific paper

Plate dynamics on terrestrial planets such as Mars, Venus and Earth strongly differs in temporal variability and thermal evolution. Stagnant-lid convection is characterized by a hot convecting interior and subduction events leading to a cooling of the interior. Moreover it has been shown that the heating mode of mantle convection affects the time-dependence of plate-like surface behavior. Flow reversals have been observed as a result of a heat build-up close to a subduction zone. We investigate the effect of strong internal heating on plate dynamics which is of particular importance for the Super-Earth, a recently discovered class of exosolar planets. In particular, in numerical mantle convection models we consider different modes of internal heating such as purely internal heating and mixed-mode heating. In our study we apply different model approaches in which the viscosity depends on temperature and pressure to allow for high viscosity plates. Plate mobilisation is obtained by additionally employing either a stress dependence of the viscosity or utilizing the force-balance method. The latter approach requires that the stress at the base of each high viscosity plate sums to zero so that the plates neither drive nor resist mantle flow. We find differences between the two modes of heating which has implications for the thermal history. Systems with an insulating bottom are characterized by a cooler interior than systems which are additionally heated from below. This leads to great differences in the plate dynamics, as it is more difficult to sustain stagnant-lid convection in cooler systems.

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