[1] Several methods have been developed to assess the thermal state of the mantle below oceanic ridges, islands, and plateaus, on the basis of the petrology and geochemistry of erupted lavas. One leads to the conclusion that mantle potential temperature (i.e., TP) of ambient mantle below oceanic ridges is 1430 C, the same as Hawaii. Another has ridges with a large range in ambient mantle potent...

We investigate the coupled effects of mineralogy and pressure on the dynamics of axisymmetric thermochemical plumes in the lower mantle, using both high resolution numerical experiments and simple analytical theory. We focus on the effect of composition on the compressibility which has not been studied before. Our results show that the effect of mineralogy is considerable: For relatively low Si...

We review the resolution currently available with seismic tomography, in particular the ability of seismic waves to image mantle plumes, and discuss frequently asked questions about artifacts, interpretation and possible systematic errors. These aspects are discussed in more detail for two case histories offering different problems in the tomographic interpretation: Iceland and Hawaii. Regional...

The core mantle boundary (CMB) separates Earth's liquid iron outer core from the solid but slowly convecting mantle. The detailed structure and dynamics of the mantle within ~300 km of this interface remain enigmatic: it is a complex region, which exhibits thermal, compositional and phase-related heterogeneity, isolated pockets of partial melt and strong variations in seismic velocity and aniso...

Measurements of the splitting or birefringence of seismic shear waves that have passed through the Earth’s mantle yield constraints on the strength and geometry of elastic anisotropy in various regions, including the upper mantle, the transition zone, and the D00 layer. In turn, information about the occurrence and character of seismic anisotropy allows us to make inferences about the style and...

[1] Accurately inferring the radially anisotropic structure of the mantle using seismic waveforms requires correcting for the effects of crustal structure on waveforms. Recent studies have quantified the importance of accurate crustal corrections when mapping upper mantle structure using surface waves and overtones. Here, we explore the effects of crustal corrections on the retrieval of deep ma...

[1] Imaging of seismic velocity discontinuities along a 3000 km profile across central South America at 20 S suggests that the depth variations of the 410-km (d410) and 660-km (d660) discontinuities are closely associated with the high-velocity Nazca slab and juxtaposed low-velocity oceanic mantle beneath the slab. The mantle transition zone thickness ranges from 220 km in the oceanic mantle to...

[1] The pyrolite model is one of the possible compositions of the Earth’s lower mantle. The lower mantle’s composition is generally modelled by comparing seismic observations with mineral physics data of possible lower mantle end-member phases. Here, we report the compression behavior of a natural KLB-1 peridotite (a representative composition of the pyrolite model) in a quasihydrostatic enviro...

We propose that the anomalous Cretaceous vertical motion of Australia and distinctive geochemistry and geophysics of the Australian-Antarctic Discordance (AAD) were caused by a subducted slab which migrated beneath the continent during the Cretaceous, stalled within the mantle transition zone, and is presently being drawn up by the Southeast Indian Ridge. During the Early Cretaceous the eastern...

Measurements of seismic anisotropy constitute a very important tool for examining patterns of flow and mineral properties in the Earth’s mantle. A popular strategy for gaining insight into upper mantle processes is to examine the splitting of SK(K)S phases and interpret them in terms of upper mantle anisotropy and deformation; in such studies, any contribution to splitting from anisotropy in th...