Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 1993
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993jgr....9821895r&link_type=abstract
Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 98, no. B12, p. 21895-21909
Physics
165
Density (Mass/Volume), Earth Mantle, Geodynamics, Heterogeneity, Mathematical Models, Plates (Tectonics), Subduction (Geology), Tectonics, Cenozoic Era, Geochronology, Geoids, Gravitational Fields, Mesozoic Era, Pacific Ocean, Paleomagnetism, Structural Basins
Scientific paper
Using Cenozoic and Mesozoic plate motion reconstructions, we derive a model of present-day mantle density heterogeneity under the assumption that subducted slabs sink vertically into the mantle. We have also computed a synthetic geoid from our density model. Results show that the history of plate tectonics can explain the main features of the present-day structure of the mantle. The dynamic topography induced by this heterogeneity structure consists mainly of about 1-km amplitude lows concentrated along the active continental margins of the Pacific basin. Our model can also be used to predict the time variation of mantle heterogeneity and the gravity field. We find that the 'age' of the geoid, defined as the time in the past before which the geoid becomes uncorrelated with the present geoid, is about 50 m.y. Our model for the history of the degree 2 geoid, which is equivalent to the history of the inertia tensor, should give us a tool to study the variations in Earth's rotation pole indicated in paleomagnetic studies.
Le Stunff Yves
Lithgow-Bertelloni Carolina
Ricard Yanick
Richards Mark
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