scholarly journals Role of temperature-dependent viscosity and surface plates in spherical shell models of mantle convection

2000 ◽  
Vol 105 (B5) ◽  
pp. 11063-11082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shijie Zhong ◽  
Maria T. Zuber ◽  
Louis Moresi ◽  
Michael Gurnis
Keyword(s):  
Spherical Shell ◽  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Temperature Dependent Viscosity ◽  
Shell Models ◽  
Dependent Viscosity

Effect of temperature-dependent viscosity on mantle convection

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukács Benedek Kuslits ◽  
Márton Pál Farkas ◽  
Attila Galsa
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Temperature Dependent Viscosity ◽  
Dependent Viscosity

scholarly journals Could the Réunion plume have thinned the Indian craton?

Geology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyotirmoy Paul ◽  
Attreyee Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Boundary Region ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Indian Plate ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Temperature Dependent Viscosity ◽  
Indian Craton ◽  
Reunion Plume ◽  
Dependent Viscosity

Thick and highly viscous roots are the key to cratonic survival. Nevertheless, cratonic roots can be destroyed under certain geological scenarios. Eruption of mantle plumes underneath cratons can reduce root viscosity and thus make them more prone to deformation by mantle convection. It has been proposed that the Indian craton could have been thinned due to eruption of the Réunion plume underneath it at ca. 65 Ma. In this study, we constructed spherical time-dependent forward mantle convection models to investigate whether the Réunion plume eruption could have reduced the Indian craton thickness. Along with testing the effect of different strengths of craton and its surrounding asthenosphere, we examined the effect of temperature-dependent viscosity on craton deformation. Our results show that the plume-induced thermomechanical erosion could have reduced the Indian craton thickness by as much as ~130 km in the presence of temperature-dependent viscosity. We also find that the plume material could have lubricated the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary region beneath the Indian plate. This could be a potential reason for acceleration of the Indian plate since 65 Ma.

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