Physics – Fluid Dynamics
Scientific paper
May 1989
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1989jhu..reptr....m&link_type=abstract
Annual Progress Report, 1 Jun. 1988 - 31 May 1989 Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD. Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Physics
Fluid Dynamics
Convection, Crustal Fractures, Earth Gravitation, Geoids, Geothermal Anomalies, Gravitational Fields, Lithosphere, Ocean Bottom, Pacific Ocean, Bathymeters, Depth Measurement, Fluid Dynamics, Planetary Evolution, Topography, Viscosity
Scientific paper
In an attempt to understand the mechanical interaction of a growing lithosphere containing fracture zones with small and large scale mantle convection, which gives rise to geoid anomalies in oceanic regions, a series of fluid dynamical experiments is in progress to investigate: (1) the influence of lithosphere structure, fluid depth and viscosity field on the onset, scale, and evolution of sublithospheric convection; (2) the role of this convection in determining the rate of growth of lithosphere, especially in light of the flattening of the lithosphere bathymetry and heat flow at late times; and (3) combining the results of both numerical and laboratory experiments to decide the dominate factors in producing geoid anomalies in oceanic regions through the thermo-mechanical interaction of the lithosphere and subjacent mantle. The clear existence of small scale convection associated with a downward propagating solidification front (i.e., the lithosphere) and a larger scale flow associated with a discontinuous upward heat flux (i.e., a fracture zone) has been shown. The flows exist simultaneously and each may have a significant role in deciding the thermal evolution of the lithosphere and in understanding the relation of shallow mantle convection to deep mantle convection. This overall process is reflected in the geoid, gravity, and topographic anomalies in the north-central Pacific. These highly correlated fields of intermediate wavelength (approx. 200 to 2000 km) show isostatic compensation by a thin lithosphere for shorter (less than or equal to approx. 500 km), but not the longer, wavelengths. The ultimate, dynamic origin of this class of anomalies is being investigated.
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