Quantitative 3D Exploration of the Hypothesis of a Plume-Fed Asthensophere

大约从1970年开始，板块构造论——地球？S表面由巨大的刚性板块组成，这些板块是在洋中脊上形成的，在海沟上消耗殆尽。标准模型?地球是如何运转的众所周知，板块运动是热对流的一种表现。由高温驱动的流体——但是这个基本过程的细节仍然知之甚少。启发这个项目的一个非常新颖的假设是，地球的最上层地幔，就在板块下方，已经被从下地幔上升的羽流提供的热流体物质所淹没。该项目将使用3D数值实验来评估羽流软流圈模型（PFA）及其对广泛过程的各种影响。除了在最基本的层面上对我们对地球过程的理解做出贡献之外，这个项目更广泛的影响还包括对其他相关研究课题的贡献，开发新的计算机代码，培养研究生和本科生的参与。

Since about 1970, Plate Tectonics - the notion that Earth?s surface is comprised of large, rigid plates that are created at mid-ocean ridges and consumed at trenches - has been the ?standard model? for how the Earth works. Plate motions are known to be a manifestation of thermal convection ? flow driven by high temperatures - but the details of this fundamental process remain poorly understood. The very novel hypothesis that inspires this project is that the uppermost mantle of the Earth, just beneath the plates has been flooded by hot, fluid material supplied by plumes rising from the lower mantle. The project will use 3D numerical experiments to assess the plume fed asthenosphere model (PFA) and its various implications for a wide range of processes. In addition to its contribution to our understanding of Earth processes at the most fundamental level, the broader impacts of this project include contributions to other, related research topics, the development of new computer codes, training a graduate student and participation by undergraduate students.