The existence of mantle plumes was first proposed in the 1970s to explain intra-plate, hotspot volcanism, yet owing difficulties resolving upwellings with geophysical images and discrepancies interpretations geochemical geochronological data, origin, dynamics composition their links plate tectonics are still contested. In this Review, we discuss progress seismic imaging, flow modelling, tectoni...

Detailed predictions for the day-night (D-N) asymmetry in the energyintegrated one year signals in the SNO detector in the case of the MSW νe → νμ(τ) and/or νe → νs transition solutions of the solar neutrino problem are presented. The asymmetries in the charged current (CC) and ν − e− elastic scattering (ES) event rates are calculated for both MSW solutions; in the case of the νe → νs transitio...

The theory of load-induced relaxation of the layered Maxwell half-space is applied to the study of glacioisostatic adjustment in Fennoscandia. The interpretation uses emergence data from Angermanland (Sweden) and uplift-rate data from the Gulf of Bothnia. With mantle viscosity fixed at 10 Pa s, the data can be explained by an earth model characterized by (a) an elastic surface layer of conventi...

The carbon budget and dynamics of the Earth's interior, including the core, are currently very poorly understood. Diamond-bearing, mantle-derived rocks show a very well defined peak at δ(13)C ≈ -5 ± 3‰ with a very broad distribution to lower values (∼-40‰). The processes that have produced the wide δ(13)C distributions to the observed low δ(13)C values in the deep Earth have been extensively de...

Deployments of seismic stations in Antarctica are an ambitious project to improve the spatial resolution of the Antarctic Plate and surrounding regions. Several international programs had been conducted in wide area of the Antarctic continent during the International Polar Year (IPY 2007-2008). The “Antarctica’s GAmburtsev Province (AGAP)”, the “GAmburtsev Mountain SEISmic experiment (GAMSEIS)”...

As the most active plateau on the Earth, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (TP) has a complex crust–mantle structure. Knowledge of the distribution of such a structure provides information for understanding the underlying geodynamic processes. We obtain a three-dimensional model of the density of the crust and the upper mantle beneath the TP and surrounding areas from height anomalies using the Earth G...

The inception of plate tectonics on Earth and its subsequent evolution are discussed on the basis of theoretical considerations and observational constraints. The likelihood of plate tectonics in the past depends on what mechanism is responsible for the relatively constant surface heat flux that is indicated by the likely thermal history of Earth. The continuous operation of plate tectonics thr...