Earth's Deep Interior Mineral Physics and Tomography from the Atom to the Global Scale

About this book

Earth is a dynamically evolving planet with large-scale flow and chemical differentiation occurring throughout history. These processes include not only mantle convection and related phenomena but also core processes that have an important influence on the generation of the magnetic field. Deep processes in Earth, however, have long been matters for speculation without many observational constraints. Fortunately, during the last 10 years or so this situation has changed dramatically. Enhancements in the capacity of high resolution seismology to probe the fine structures of Earth's deep interior (via seismic tomography, for example) and technical advances in mineral and rock physics, which have provided new and improved data bases for interpreting seismological observations, are essential developments.

Contents

Preface
      Shun-ichiro Karato, Lars Stixrude, Robert C. Liebermann, Guy Masters, and Alessandro Forte vii
Introduction: Probing Earth's Deep Interior
      Shun-ichiro Karato, Alessandro Forte, Robert C. Liebermann, Guy Masters, and Lars Stixrude 1

Geodynamics
Seismic-Geodynamic Constraints on Mantle Flow: Implications for Layered Convection, Mantle Viscosity, and Seismic Anisotropy in the Deep Mantle
      Alessandro M. Forte 3
Dynamics of the Earth's Core
      Bruce A. Buffett 37

Seismic Tomography
The Relative Behavior of Shear Velocity, Bulk Sound Speed, and Compressional Velocity in the Mantle: Implications for Chemical and Thermal Structure
      Guy Masters, Gabi Laske, Harold Bolton, and Adam Dziewonski 63
Inner Core Anisotropy and Rotation
      Kenneth C. Creager 89
Upper Mantle Seismic Discontinuities
      Peter M. Shearer 115
Seismic Anisotropy in the Boundary Layers of the Mantle
      J-M. Kendall 133
Seismological Constraints on Attenuation in the Earth: A Review
      Barbara Romanowicz and Joseph J. Durek 161

Mineral Physics (Anharmonicity, Anelasticity, Anisotropy)
Elasticity of Mantle Minerals (Experimental Studies)
      Robert C. Liebermann 181
Elasticity of Mantle Phases at High Pressure and Temperature
      Lars Stixrude 201
Phase Transformations: Implications for Mantle Structure
      Donald J. Weidner and Yanbin Wang 215
The Seismic Anisotropy of the Earth's Mantle: From Single Crystal to Poly crystal
      D. Mainprice, G. Barruol, and W. Ben Ismail 237
Laboratory Measurement of Seismic Wave Dispersion and Attenuation: Recent Progress
      Ian Jackson 265

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