Viscosity Jump in Earth’s Mid-Mantle

Authors

Maxwell L. Rudolph, Portland State UniversityFollow
Vedran Lekic, University of Maryland
Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni, University College London

Published In

Science

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

12-2015

Abstract

The viscosity of Earth's deep interior plays a key role in mediating plate tectonics. Rudolph et al. combined several geophysical data sets to model the viscosity of the mantle. Mantle viscosity abruptly increases below 1000 km. The increase could explain the stalling of subducting slabs and the deflections of hot upwelling plumes around this depth. Although the viscosity increase explains some recent unexpected observations, the origin of the jump itself remains a mystery.

Description

© 2015 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad1929

DOI

10.1126/science.aad1929

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19655

Citation Details

Rudolph, M. L., Lekić, V., & Lithgow-Bertelloni, C. (2015). Viscosity jump in Earth’s mid-mantle. Science, 350(6266), 1349-1352.