Continental structure and drift

1965 ◽  
Vol 258 (1088) ◽  
pp. 215-227 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Convective Flow ◽  
Deep Structure ◽  
Continental Drift ◽  
Hydrostatic Equilibrium ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Figure Of The Earth

Gravity and heat flow observations indicate that the structural and chemical differences between oceanic and continental regions extend to depths of several hundred kilometres. A theory of continental drift must account for the maintenance of the deep structure of continents. A comparison of the figure of the Earth obtained from satellite observations with that calculated on the assumption that the Earth is in hydrostatic equilibrium demonstrates that stress differences of the order of 100 bars exist within the mantle. If these stress differences are to be maintained by convective flow, then the mantle must have an average viscosity of 1026 c.g.s.

Part 2. The deeper structure of the Atlantic - Geological hypotheses and the earth's crust under the oceans

1954 ◽  
Vol 222 (1150) ◽  
pp. 341-348 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
The Other ◽  
Ocean Floor ◽  
Peridotite Xenoliths ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Southern Rhodesia ◽  
Mohorovičić Discontinuity

Recent work has determined the depth of the Mohorovičić discontinuity at sea and has made it likely that peridotite xenoliths in basaltic volcanic rocks are samples of material from below the discontinuity. It is now possible to produce a hypothetical section showing the transition from a continent to an ocean. This section is consistent with both the seismic and gravity results. The possible reactions of the crust to changes in the total volume of sea water are dis­cussed. It seems possible that the oceans were shallower and the crust thinner in the Archean than they are now. If this were so, some features of the oldest rocks of Canada and Southern Rhodesia could be explained. Three processes are described that might lead to the formation of oceanic ridges; one of these involves tension, one compression and the other quiet tectonic conditions. It is likely that not all ridges are formed in the same way. It is possible that serpentization of olivine by water rising from the interior of the earth plays an important part in producing changes of level in the ocean floor and anomalies in heat flow. Finally, a method of reducing gravity observations at sea is discussed.

Reflections from discontinuities beneath antarctica

1971 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 1441-1451
Author(s):  
R. D. Adams
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Deep Structure ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Crust And Upper Mantle ◽  
Nuclear Explosions ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Velocity Channel ◽  
Upper Boundary

abstract Early reflections of the phase P′P′ recorded at North American seismograph stations from nuclear explosions in Novaya Zemlya are used to examine the crust and upper mantle beneath a region of eastern Antarctica. Many reflections are observed from depths less than 120 km, indicating considerable inhomogeneity at these depths in the Earth. No regular horizons were found throughout the area, but some correlation was observed among reflections at closely-spaced stations, and, at many stations, reflections were observed from depths of between 60 and 80 km, corresponding to a likely upper boundary of the low-velocity channel. Deeper reflections were found at depths of near 420 and 650 km. The latter boundary was particularly well-observed and appears to be sharply defined at a depth that is constant to within a few kilometers. The boundary at 420 km is not so well defined by reflections of P′P′, but reflects well longer-period PP waves, arriving at wider angles of incidence. This boundary appears to be at least as pronounced, but not so sharp as that near 650 km. The deep structure beneath Antarctica presents no obvious difference from that beneath other continental areas.

scholarly journals Reviews and syntheses: Flying the satellite into your model: on the role of observation operators in constraining models of the Earth system and the carbon cycle

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2343-2357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kaminski ◽  
Pierre-Philippe Mathieu
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Automatic Differentiation ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Spectral Radiance ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Retrieval Scheme

Abstract. The vehicles that fly the satellite into a model of the Earth system are observation operators. They provide the link between the quantities simulated by the model and the quantities observed from space, either directly (spectral radiance) or indirectly estimated through a retrieval scheme (biogeophysical variables). By doing so, observation operators enable modellers to properly compare, evaluate, and constrain their models with the model analogue of the satellite observations. This paper provides the formalism and a few examples of how observation operators can be used in combination with data assimilation techniques to better ingest satellite products in a manner consistent with the dynamics of the Earth system expressed by models. It describes commonalities and potential synergies between assimilation and classical retrievals. This paper explains how the combination of observation operators and their derivatives (linearizations) form powerful research tools. It introduces a technique called automatic differentiation that greatly simplifies both the development and the maintenance of code for the evaluation of derivatives. Throughout this paper, a special focus lies on applications to the carbon cycle.

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