scholarly journals Geodynamic, geodetic, and seismic constraints favour deflated and dense-cored LLVPs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Richards ◽  
Mark Hoggard ◽  
Siavash Ghelichkhan ◽  
Paula Koelemeijer ◽  
Harriet Lau
Keyword(s):  
Basal Layer ◽  
Thick Layer ◽  
Earth Tides ◽  
Mantle Flow ◽  
Dynamic Topography ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Dynamic Surface ◽  
Thermal Anomalies ◽  
Vertical Extent ◽  
Wide Range

Two continent-sized features in the deep mantle, the large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs), influence Earth's supercontinent cycles, mantle plume generation, and its geochemical budget. Seismological advances have steadily improved LLVP imaging, but several fundamental questions remain unanswered, including: What is their vertical extent? And, are they purely thermal anomalies, or are they also compositionally distinct? Here, we investigate these questions using a wide range of observations. The relationship between measured geoid anomalies and long-wavelength dynamic surface topography places an important upper limit on LLVP vertical extent of ~900 km above the core-mantle boundary (CMB). Our mantle flow modelling suggests that anomalously dense material must exist at their base to simultaneously reproduce geoid, dynamic topography, and CMB ellipticity observations. We demonstrate that models incorporating this dense basal layer are consistent with independent measurements of semi-diurnal Earth tides and Stoneley modes. Our thermodynamic calculations indicate that a ~100 km-thick layer of early-formed, chondrite-enriched basalt is the chemical configuration most compatible with these geodynamic, geodetic and seismological constraints. By reconciling these disparate datasets for the first time, our results demonstrate that, although dominantly thermal structures, basal sections of LLVPs represent a primitive chemical reservoir that is periodically tapped by upwelling mantle plumes.

Energy absorbed ability and damage analysis for honeycomb sandwich material of bio-inspired micro aerial vehicle under low velocity impact

2020 ◽  
pp. 095440622097542
Author(s):  
Jianxun Du ◽  
Peng Hao ◽  
Mabao Liu ◽  
Rui Xue ◽  
Lin’an Li
Keyword(s):  
Honeycomb Structure ◽  
Low Velocity Impact ◽  
Parameter Study ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Micro Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Thin Walled Structures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Thin Walled ◽  
The Impact

Because of the advantages of light weight, small size, and good maneuverability, the bio-inspired micro aerial vehicle has a wide range of application prospects and development potential in military and civil areas, and has become one of the research hotspots in the future aviation field. The beetle’s elytra possess high strength and provide the protection of the abdomen while being functional to guarantee its flight performance. In this study, the internal microstructure of beetle’s elytra was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and a variety of bionic thin-walled structures were proposed and modelled. The energy absorption characteristics and protective performance of different configurations of thin-walled structures with hollow columns under impact loading was analyzed by finite element method. The parameter study was carried out to show the influence of the velocity of impactor, the impact angle of the impactor and the wall thickness of honeycomb structure. This study provides an important inspiration for the design of the protective structure of the micro aerial vehicle.

scholarly journals Seismic detection of transient changes beneath Black Rapids Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A.: II. Basal morphology and processes

1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (149) ◽  
pp. 132-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Nolan ◽  
Keith Echelmeyer
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic System ◽  
Seismic Analysis ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Basal Layer ◽  
Thick Layer ◽  
Reflection Coefficients ◽  
Overburden Pressure ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Black Rapids Glacier

AbstractUsing changes observed in daily seismic reflections, we have investigated the basal morphology of Black Rapids Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A. The englacial drainage of ice-marginal lakes caused significant changes in the daily reflections, as well as dramatic increases in basal motion. Changes in reflection arrival times and amplitudes indicate that there is a basal till layer at least 5 m thick at some locations beneath this surge-type glacier. Rapid changes in the observed reflection coefficients during the drainage events indicate that changes in till properties must occur throughout the entire 5 m thick layer, they must last for several days following the lake drainages and they must be completely reversible over as little as 36 min. Our seismic analysis shows that changes in effective pressure of the till are unlikely to cause the required changes in the reflection coefficients, but that a decrease in till saturation is likely. We therefore interpret the cause of the seismic anomalies as being a temporary decrease in saturation as water is input to the subglacial hydraulic system, and propose that such a change may occur quickly and reversibly by a redistribution of overburden pressure. Higher water pressures within the hydraulic system cause that region to support more of the glacier’s weight, leaving the remaining areas to support less. Any till within these areas of decreased normal stress would experience a consequent decrease in pore-water pressure, causing gas to exolve, thus decreasing saturation. This decrease in saturation would cause a change in the strength of the basal layer and may affect basal dynamics.

scholarly journals The impact of rheological uncertainty on dynamic topography predictions

Solid Earth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2167-2178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ömer F. Bodur ◽  
Patrice F. Rey
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Numerical Experiments ◽  
Mantle Flow ◽  
Dynamic Topography ◽  
Density Anomaly ◽  
Low Viscosity ◽  
Local Reduction ◽  
Dynamic Components ◽  
Mantle Rheology ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Much effort is being made to extract the dynamic components of the Earth's topography driven by density heterogeneities in the mantle. Seismically mapped density anomalies have been used as an input into mantle convection models to predict the present-day mantle flow and stresses applied on the Earth's surface, resulting in dynamic topography. However, mantle convection models give dynamic topography amplitudes generally larger by a factor of ∼2, depending on the flow wavelength, compared to dynamic topography amplitudes obtained by removing the isostatically compensated topography from the Earth's topography. In this paper, we use 3-D numerical experiments to evaluate the extent to which the dynamic topography depends on mantle rheology. We calculate the amplitude of instantaneous dynamic topography induced by the motion of a small spherical density anomaly (∼100 km radius) embedded into the mantle. Our experiments show that, at relatively short wavelengths (<1000 km), the amplitude of dynamic topography, in the case of non-Newtonian mantle rheology, is reduced by a factor of ∼2 compared to isoviscous rheology. This is explained by the formation of a low-viscosity channel beneath the lithosphere and a decrease in thickness of the mechanical lithosphere due to induced local reduction in viscosity. The latter is often neglected in global mantle convection models. Although our results are strictly valid for flow wavelengths less than 1000 km, we note that in non-Newtonian rheology all wavelengths are coupled, and the dynamic topography at long wavelengths will be influenced.

Plume-modified mantle flow in the northern Basin and Range and southern Cascadia back-arc region since ca. 12 Ma

Geology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 695-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor E. Camp
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Flow Line ◽  
Basin And Range ◽  
Mantle Flow ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Northern Basin ◽  
High Lava Plains ◽  
Back Arc

AbstractBimodal volcanism and rhyolite migration along the High Lava Plains in central Oregon (United States) lie above a broader feature defined by low seismic velocity in the upper mantle that emanates from the Yellowstone hotspot (northwest United States) and extends westward across the northern Basin and Range. It was emplaced by a westward current, driven in part by rapid buoyancy-driven flow across the east-west cratonic boundary of North America. Geothermometry studies and geochemical considerations suggest that the low-velocity feature may be composed of moderately hot, low-density mantle derived from the Yellowstone plume but diluted by thermomechanical erosion and entrainment of colder mantle lithosphere. Finger-like conduits of plume-modified mantle beneath Quaternary eruption sites delineate flow-line channels that have developed across the broader mantle structure since 2 Ma. These channels have allowed low-density mantle to accumulate against the Cascades arc, thus providing a heated mantle source for mafic magmatism in the Newberry (Oregon) and Medicine Lake (California) volcanic fields.

Seismic anisotropy in southern Costa Rica confirms upper mantle flow from the Pacific to the Caribbean

Geology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vadim Levin ◽  
Stephen Elkington ◽  
James Bourke ◽  
Ivonne Arroyo ◽  
Lepolt Linkimer
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Seismic Anisotropy ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Central American ◽  
Mantle Flow ◽  
Dynamic Topography ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Surrounding Areas

Abstract Surrounded by subducting slabs and continental keels, the upper mantle of the Pacific is largely prevented from mixing with surrounding areas. One possible outlet is beneath the southern part of the Central American isthmus, where regional observations of seismic anisotropy, temporal changes in isotopic composition of volcanic eruptions, and considerations of dynamic topography all suggest upper mantle flow from the Pacific to the Caribbean. We derive new constraints on the nature of seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle of southern Costa Rica from observations of birefringence in teleseismic shear waves. Fast and slow components separate by ∼1 s, with faster waves polarized along the 40°–50° (northeast) direction, near-orthogonally to the Central American convergent margin. Our results are consistent with upper mantle flow from the Pacific to the Caribbean and require an opening in the lithosphere subducting under the region.

Natural Convection of Cu-Gallium Nanofluid in Enclosures

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Qi ◽  
Yurong He ◽  
Yanwei Hu ◽  
Juancheng Yang ◽  
Fengchen Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Nusselt Number ◽  
Natural Convection ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Grashof Number ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Temperature Dependent Properties

In this work, the natural convection heat transfer of Cu-gallium nanofluid in a differentially heated enclosure is investigated. A single-phase model is employed with constant or temperature-dependent properties of the fluid. The results are shown over a wide range of Grashof numbers, volume fractions of nanoparticles, and aspect ratios. The Nusselt number is demonstrated to be sensitive to the aspect ratio. It is found that the Nusselt number is more sensitive to thermal conductivity than viscosity at a low velocity (especially for a low aspect ratio and a low Grashof number), however, it is more sensitive to the viscosity than the thermal conductivity at a high velocity (high aspect ratio and high Grashof number). In addition, the evolution of velocity vectors, isotherms, and Nusselt number for a small aspect ratio is investigated.

Dynamic surface topography: A new interpretation based upon mantle flow models derived from seismic tomography

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Forte ◽  
W. R. Peltier ◽  
A. M. Dziewonski ◽  
R. L. Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Surface Topography ◽  
Seismic Tomography ◽  
Mantle Flow ◽  
Dynamic Surface ◽  
Flow Models ◽  
New Interpretation

An investigation of seismic anisotropy in the lowermost mantle beneath Iceland

2019 ◽  
Vol 219 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S152-S166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Wolf ◽  
Neala Creasy ◽  
Angelo Pisconti ◽  
Maureen D Long ◽  
Christine Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Anisotropy ◽  
Horizontal Flow ◽  
Mantle Flow ◽  
Small Data ◽  
Vertical Flow ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Deep Mantle ◽  
Lowermost Mantle

SUMMARY Iceland represents one of the most well-known examples of hotspot volcanism, but the details of how surface volcanism connects to geodynamic processes in the deep mantle remain poorly understood. Recent work has identified evidence for an ultra-low velocity zone in the lowermost mantle beneath Iceland and argued for a cylindrically symmetric upwelling at the base of a deep mantle plume. This scenario makes a specific prediction about flow and deformation in the lowermost mantle, which can potentially be tested with observations of seismic anisotropy. Here we present an investigation of seismic anisotropy in the lowermost mantle beneath Iceland, using differential shear wave splitting measurements of S–ScS and SKS–SKKS phases. We apply our techniques to waves propagating at multiple azimuths, with the goal of gaining good geographical and azimuthal coverage of the region. Practical limitations imposed by the suboptimal distribution of global seismicity at the relevant distance ranges resulted in a relatively small data set, particularly for S–ScS. Despite this, however, our measurements of ScS splitting due to lowermost mantle anisotropy clearly show a rotation of the fast splitting direction from nearly horizontal for two sets of paths that sample away from the low velocity region (implying VSH &gt; VSV) to nearly vertical for a set of paths that sample directly beneath Iceland (implying VSV &gt; VSH). We also find evidence for sporadic SKS–SKKS discrepancies beneath our study region; while the geographic distribution of discrepant pairs is scattered, those pairs that sample closest to the base of the Iceland plume tend to be discrepant. Our measurements do not uniquely constrain the pattern of mantle flow. However, we carried out simple ray-theoretical forward modelling for a suite of plausible anisotropy mechanisms, including those based on single-crystal elastic tensors, those obtained via effective medium modelling for partial melt scenarios, and those derived from global or regional models of flow and texture development in the deep mantle. These simplified models do not take into account details such as possible transitions in anisotropy mechanism or deformation regime, and test a simplified flow field (vertical flow beneath the plume and horizontal flow outside it) rather than more detailed flow scenarios. Nevertheless, our modelling results demonstrate that our ScS splitting observations are generally consistent with a flow scenario that invokes nearly vertical flow directly beneath the Iceland hotspot, with horizontal flow just outside this region.

Dynamic topography controls on source-to-sink systems: Example of the last 40 Ma in South Africa.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Mallard ◽  
Tristan Salles ◽  
Sabin Zahirovic ◽  
Xuesong Ding
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Surface Processes ◽  
Source Surface ◽  
Mantle Flow ◽  
Dynamic Topography ◽  
The South ◽  
Geological Record ◽  
Source To Sink ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;Over deep time, mantle flow-induced dynamic topography drives deposition moderated by higher-frequency fluctuations in climate and sea level. The effects of deep mantle convection impact all the segment of the source to sink systems at different wavelengths and over various scales which remains poorly quantified. Field observations and numerical investigations suggest that the long-term stratigraphic record along continental margins contains essential clues on the interactions between dynamic topography and surface processes. However, it remains challenging to isolate the fingerprints of dynamic topography in the geological record.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We use the open-source surface evolution code Badlands (badlands.readthedocs.io), to quantify the impact of different timings and wavelengths of dynamic topography migration on the South African landscape responses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We test three different dynamic topography scenarios obtained by both backwards advection and forwards modelling of mantle flow. We investigate their influence on landscape dynamics, stratal geometries and depositional patterns of South Africa over the past 40 Ma. We compare the evolution of the drainage organization, sediments flux, and stratigraphy obtained with the models with seismic, geochronological, and thermochronological data. We demonstrate that inland incision, spatial sediment accumulation, and depocenter migration strongly depend on the direction of sediment transport relative to the direction of dynamic topography propagation. It allows to identify realistic evolutions of mantle flow associated with the South African uplift history. Our results suggest that our source-to-sink numerical workflow can be used to explore, in a systematic way, the interplay between dynamic topography and surface processes and can provide insights into recognizing the geomorphic and stratigraphic signals of dynamic topography in the geological record.&lt;/p&gt;

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