Influence of heating mode in three-dimensional mantle convection

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL016i007p00617· OSTI ID:5960902

Bercovici, D; Schubert, G; Glatzmaier, G A

Numerical models of three-dimensional, thermal convection in highly viscous spherical shells with different combinations of internal and basal heating consistently have upwelling concentrations in the form of cylindrical plumes and downwelling in planar sheets. As the proportion of internal heating increases, the number of upwelling plumes increases, and downwelling sheets become more vigorous and time-dependent. With any amount of basal heating, the entire convective pattern, during its evolution, is anchored to the upwelling plumes. As the proportion of internal heating increases, the heat flow carried by the upwelling plumes remains a large fraction of the basal heat flow. Downwelling sheets carry only a minor fraction (approximately 30%) of the basal heat flow (even when the shell is entirely heated from below), but they advect almost all of the internally generated heat. The relatively large number of plumes in the Earth's mantle (inferred from hotspots), the possibility that downwelling slabs are vigorous enough to penetrate the lower mantle, and the small fraction of terrestrial surface heat flow carried by plumes all suggest that the mantle is predominantly heated from within. /copyright/ American Geophysical Union 1989

• Research Organization: Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (US); Earth and Space Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• OSTI ID: 5960902
• Journal Information: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 16:7; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
152000* -- Geothermal Data & Theory
CONVECTION
EARTH MANTLE
ENERGY TRANSFER
EXPANSION
HEAT TRANSFER
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PLATE TECTONICS
PLUMES
SLABS
TECTONICS
THERMAL EXPANSION
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TIME DEPENDENCE
UPWELLING