Related papers: Core and mantle thermal evolution constraints on t…
The scaling of plate-tectonic convection is investigated by simulating thermal convection with pseudoplastic rheology and strongly temperature-dependent viscosity. The effect of mantle melting is also explored with additional…
Seismic mapping of the top of the inner core indicates two distinct areas of high P-wave velocity, the stronger one located beneath Asia, and the other located beneath the Atlantic. This two-fold pattern supports the idea that a…
Simulating mantle convection often requires reaching a computationally expensive steady-state, crucial for deriving scaling laws for thermal and dynamical flow properties and benchmarking numerical solutions. The strong temperature…
We have numerically studied the thermal evolution of various-mass terrestrial planets in habitable zones, focusing on duration of dynamo activity to generate their intrinsic magnetic fields, which may be one of key factors in habitability…
Context: The long-term carbonate-silicate cycle plays an important role in the evolution of Earth's climate and, therefore, may also be an important mechanism in the evolution of the climates of Earth-like exoplanets. Aims: We investigate…
The presence of low viscosity layers in the mantle is supported by line of geological and geophysical observations. Recent high pressure and temperature investigations indicated that partial carbonate melt should exist at the bottom of the…
Convection-driven flows in planetary interiors exhibit rich dynamics owing to multiple spatio-temporally varying forcing conditions and physical constraints. In particular, the churning of liquid metals in the Earth's outer core,…
Understanding Earth's core dynamics over millennial timescales requires models that jointly describe the evolution of the geomagnetic field and core surface flow, while accommodating the sparse, irregular, and uncertain nature of…
Many super-Earths are on very short orbits around their host star and, therefore, more likely to be tidally locked. Because this locking can lead to a strong contrast between the dayside and nightside surface temperatures, these…
Sub-Neptunes and Neptunes are often modeled with distinct, fully convective layers. Yet, there are several arguments for compositions gradients that can inhibit convection. In these regions, energy transport depends on the thermal…
Computations have helped elucidate the dynamics of Earth's mantle for several decades already. The numerical methods that underlie these simulations have greatly evolved within this time span, and today include dynamically changing and…
Simple scalings suggest that super-Earths are more likely than an equivalent Earth-sized planet to be undergoing plate tectonics. Generally, viscosity and thermal conductivity increase with pressure while thermal expansivity decreases,…
Convection in planetary mantles is in the so-called mixed heating mode; it is driven by heating from below, due to a hotter core, as well as heating from within, due to radiogenic heating and secular cooling. Thus, in order to model the…
Changes that occur on our planet can be tracked back to one of two energy sources: the sun and the Earth's internal energy. The motion of tectonic plates, volcanism, mountain building and the reshaping of our planet's surface over geologic…
Plate tectonics is a fundamental component for the habitability of the Earth. Yet whether it is a recurrent feature of terrestrial bodies orbiting other stars or unique to the Earth is unknown. The stagnant lid may rather be the most common…
Inner core translation, with solidification on one hemisphere and melting on the other, provides a promising basis for understanding the hemispherical dichotomy of the inner core, as well as the anomalous stable layer observed at the base…
The interiors of many planets consist mostly of fluid layers. When these layers are subject to superadiabatic temperature or compositional gradients, turbulent convection transports heat and momentum. In addition, planets are fast rotators.…
Convective flow in Earth's iron-rich liquid core drives self-sustained dynamo action, generating Earth's magnetic field, which is strongest among all terrestrial planets of the solar system. Rock records show that this magnetic field has…
Earth possesses a persistent, internally-generated magnetic field, whereas no trace of a dynamo has been detected on Venus, at present or in the past, although a high surface temperature and recent resurfacing events may have removed…
This chapter is build from three 1.5 hours lectures given in Udine in april 2018 on various aspects of Earth's core dynamics. The chapter starts with a short historical note on the discovery of Earth's magnetic field and core (section 1).…