A Numerical Experiment Reproducing Convection in the Mantle with the Generation and Evolution of Lithospheric Plates, Plumes, and Superplumes

摘要

The results of a numerical experiment are presented for a layer of a heated viscid fluid similar to the matter of the Earth's mantle. The numerical solution of the equations of the mass, heat, and momentum conservation demonstrate that thermal convection with a high viscosity lithosphere developed in a layer of fluid with a temperature jump of 4000 K without any additional conditions. The mantle currents divide the lithosphere into a set of individual rigid plates divided by ridges and subduction zones. The plates submerge into the mantle, and their substance participates in the convective circulation. Plumes and superplumes are periodically generated at the bottom of the mantle and ascend.