MECHANISM OF CONVECTION IN THE UPPER MANTLE OF THE EARTH

Abstract

The mantle convection and its convective structure are of interest in connection with the search for the mechanism that sets tectonic plates in motion. The lack of even such basic data as the sources of energy and the velocity distributions in the mantle indicates that much work still remains to be done in this area. The few variables that can be measured are the heat flux density at the subaerial surface and the velocities and linear dimensions of the lithospheric plates. Convection models must fit these basic data in order to be minimally acceptable. Mathematical analysis of such convection models is then used to trace the effect of specific mechanisms under specified physical conditions. In the present paper, we discuss some mechanisms that could give rise to strongly flattened convective cells in the upper mantle.