Toroidal flow in the outer core and the thermal regime below the core-mantle boundary

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 613-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Olson
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core

Multiple inner core reflections from a Novaya Zemlya explosion

1972 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 1063-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Lower Bound ◽  
Inner Core ◽  
Nuclear Explosion ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
The Core ◽  
Velocity Channel

Abstract The phases P2KP, P3KP, and P4KP are well recorded from the Novaya Zemlya nuclear explosion of October 14, 1970, with the branch AB at distances of up to 20° beyond the theoretical end point A. This extension is attributed to diffraction around the core-mantle boundary. A slowness dT/dΔ = 4.56±0.02 sec/deg is determined for the AB branch of P4KP, in excellent agreement with recent determinations of the slowness of diffracted P. This slowness implies a velocity of 13.29±0.06 km/sec at the base of the mantle, and confirms recent suggestions of a low-velocity channel above the core-mantle boundary. There is evidence that arrivals recorded before the AB branch of P2KP may lie on two branches, with different slownesses. The ratio of amplitudes of successive orders of multiple inner core reflections gives a lower bound of about 2200 for Q in the outer core.

scholarly journals Persistent westward drift of the geomagnetic field at the core–mantle boundary linked to recurrent high-latitude weak/reverse flux patches

2020 ◽  
Vol 222 (2) ◽  
pp. 1423-1432
Author(s):  
Andreas Nilsson ◽  
Neil Suttie ◽  
Monika Korte ◽  
Richard Holme ◽  
Mimi Hill
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
Convection Rolls ◽  
Westward Drift

SUMMARY Observations of changes in the geomagnetic field provide unique information about processes in the outer core where the field is generated. Recent geomagnetic field reconstructions based on palaeomagnetic data show persistent westward drift at high northern latitudes at the core–mantle boundary (CMB) over the past 4000 yr, as well as intermittent occurrence of high-latitude weak or reverse flux patches. To further investigate these features, we analysed time-longitude plots of a processed version of the geomagnetic field model pfm9k.1a, filtered to remove quasi-stationary features of the field. Our results suggest that westward drift at both high northern and southern latitudes of the CMB have been a persistent feature of the field over the past 9000 yr. In the Northern Hemisphere we detect two distinct signals with drift rates of 0.09° and 0.25° yr−1 and dominant zonal wavenumbers of m = 2 and 1, respectively. Comparisons with other geomagnetic field models support these observations but also highlight the importance of sedimentary data that provide crucial information on high-latitude geomagnetic field variations. The two distinct drift signals detected in the Northern Hemisphere can largely be decomposed into two westward propagating waveforms. We show that constructive interference between these two waveforms accurately predicts both the location and timing of previously observed high-latitude weak/reverse flux patches over the past 3–4 millennia. In addition, we also show that the 1125-yr periodicity signal inferred from the waveform interference correlates positively with variations in the dipole tilt over the same time period. The two identified drift signals may partially be explained by the westward motion of high-latitude convection rolls. However, the dispersion relation might also imply that part of the drift signal could be caused by magnetic Rossby waves riding on the mean background flow.

The velocities in the outer core

1971 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 1051-1059
Author(s):  
A. L. Hales ◽  
J. L. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Distribution ◽  
Lower Limit ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Time Of Arrival ◽  
Travel Times ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
Arc Distance ◽  
The Difference

abstract Earlier studies of the velocity distribution in the outer core have been based on the travel times of SKS.SKS arrivals can only be observed satisfactorily for arc distances at the surface greater than 85°. This lower limit of observation of SKS corresponds to an arc distance of 40.2° within the core. Thus the velocities in the outermost 250 km of the core are based upon an extrapolation. We have used observations of the difference in time of arrival of SKKS and SKS to obtain core travel times extending the range of observation down to a Δ within the core of about 14°. The velocity distribution thus found is significantly lower than those of Jeffreys (Bullen, 1963) and Randall (in press) near the core mantle boundary.

GRACEFUL: Probing the deep Earth interior by synergistic use of observations of the magnetic and gravity fields, and of the rotation of the Earth

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mioara Mandea ◽  
Veronique Dehant ◽  
Anny Cazenave
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Gravity Field ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Earth Rotation ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Earth

<div> <p>To understand the processes involved in the deep interior of the Earth and explaining its evolution, in particular the dynamics of the Earth’s fluid iron-rich outer core, only indirect satellite and ground observations are available. They each provide invaluable information about the core flow but are incomplete on their own:</p> <p>-        The time dependent magnetic field, originating mainly within the core, can be used to infer the motions of the fluid at the top of the core on decadal and subdecadal time scales.</p> <p>-        The time dependent gravity field variations that reflect changes in the mass distribution within the Earth and at its surface occur on a broad range of time scales. Decadal and interannual variations include the signature of the flow inside the core, though they are largely dominated by surface contributions related to the global water cycle and climate-driven land ice loss.</p> <p>-        Earth rotation changes (or variations in the length of the day) also occur on these time scales, and are largely related to the core fluid motions through exchange of angular momentum between the core and the mantle at the core-mantle boundary.</p> <p>Here, we present the main activities proposed in the frame of the GRACEFUL ERC project, which aims to combine information about the core deduced from the gravity field, from the magnetic field and from the Earth rotation in synergy, in order to examine in unprecedented depth the dynamical processes occurring inside the core and at the core-mantle boundary.</p> </div>

scholarly journals GRACE—Gravity Data for Understanding the Deep Earth’s Interior

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4186
Author(s):  
Mioara Mandea ◽  
Véronique Dehant ◽  
Anny Cazenave
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Data ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Space Mission ◽  
Last Deglaciation ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
Isostatic Adjustment ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Fluid Core

While the main causes of the temporal gravity variations observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) space mission result from water mass redistributions occurring at the surface of the Earth in response to climatic and anthropogenic forces (e.g., changes in land hydrology, ocean mass, and mass of glaciers and ice sheets), solid Earth’s mass redistributions were also recorded by these observations. This is the case, in particular, for the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) or the viscous response of the mantle to the last deglaciation. However, it has only recently been shown that the gravity data also contain the signature of flows inside the outer core and their effects on the core–mantle boundary (CMB). Detecting deep Earth’s processes in GRACE observations offers an exciting opportunity to provide additional insight into the dynamics of the core–mantle interface. Here, we present one aspect of the GRACEFUL (GRavimetry, mAgnetism and CorE Flow) project, i.e., the possibility to use gravity field data for understanding the dynamic processes inside the fluid core and core–mantle boundary of the Earth, beside that offered by the geomagnetic field variations.

scholarly journals Mantle Electrical Conductivity and the Magnetic Field at the Core–Mantle Boundary

Fluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 403
Author(s):  
John V. Shebalin
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Normal Component ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Electrically Conductive ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Theoretical Results

The Earth’s magnetic field is measured on and above the crust, while the turbulent dynamo in the outer core produces magnetic field values at the core–mantle boundary (CMB). The connection between the two sets of values is usually assumed to be independent of the electrical conductivity in the mantle. However, the turbulent magnetofluid in the Earth’s outer core produces a time-varying magnetic field that must induce currents in the lower mantle as it emerges, since the mantle is observed to be electrically conductive. Here, we develop a model to assess the possible effects of mantle electrical conductivity on the magnetic field values at the CMB. This model uses a new method for mapping the geomagnetic field from the Earth’s surface to the CMB. Since numerical and theoretical results suggest that the turbulent magnetic field in the outer core as it approaches the CMB is mostly parallel to this boundary, we assume that this property exists and set the normal component of the model magnetic field to zero at the CMB. This leads to a modification of the Mauersberger–Lowes spectrum at the CMB so that it is no longer flat, i.e., the modified spectrum depends on mantle conductance. We examined several cases in which mantle conductance ranges from low to high in order to gauge how CMB magnetic field strength and mantle ohmic heat generation may vary.

The origin of short-period precursors to PKP

1975 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 765-786
Author(s):  
C. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Lowermost Mantle

abstract An investigation of the origin of precursors to short-period PKP phases has been undertaken using 23 earthquakes recorded at the Yellowknife Array at distances between 123° and 143°. In particular, the pattern of slowness and azimuth changes with time has been examined for coherent bursts of energy occurring throughout the precursor wave train. These temporal changes demonstrate that the precursor energy is most satisfactorily explained by scattering from small inhomogeneities at the core-mantle boundary or in the lowermost mantle, both before P-wave energy enters the core and when it re-emerges into the mantle. Moreover, scattering before entry into the core seems to generate the larger amplitudes. The bulk of the data cannot be attributed to reflection or sharp upward refraction from velocity discontinuities within the lower part of the outer core, although there is some ambiguous evidence for a reflecting interface at a depth of about 4850 km.

scholarly journals Thermal conductivity of Fe-Si alloys and thermal stratification in Earth’s core

2021 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. e2119001119
Author(s):  
Youjun Zhang ◽  
Kai Luo ◽  
Mingqiang Hou ◽  
Peter Driscoll ◽  
Nilesh P. Salke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
Transport Properties ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Earth’S Core ◽  
High Pressure And Temperature ◽  
Earth's Core ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core

Light elements in Earth’s core play a key role in driving convection and influencing geodynamics, both of which are crucial to the geodynamo. However, the thermal transport properties of iron alloys at high-pressure and -temperature conditions remain uncertain. Here we investigate the transport properties of solid hexagonal close-packed and liquid Fe-Si alloys with 4.3 and 9.0 wt % Si at high pressure and temperature using laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments and first-principles molecular dynamics and dynamical mean field theory calculations. In contrast to the case of Fe, Si impurity scattering gradually dominates the total scattering in Fe-Si alloys with increasing Si concentration, leading to temperature independence of the resistivity and less electron–electron contribution to the conductivity in Fe-9Si. Our results show a thermal conductivity of ∼100 to 110 W⋅m−1⋅K−1 for liquid Fe-9Si near the topmost outer core. If Earth’s core consists of a large amount of silicon (e.g., > 4.3 wt %) with such a high thermal conductivity, a subadiabatic heat flow across the core–mantle boundary is likely, leaving a 400- to 500-km-deep thermally stratified layer below the core–mantle boundary, and challenges proposed thermal convection in Fe-Si liquid outer core.

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