Three-Dimensional Crustal Flow Models of Fast Spreading East Pacific Rise

小行星9730685 大洋中脊代表了地球表面最长的板块边界，其持续的火山活动产生了一半以上的地壳。 了解洋中脊的地幔上涌和地壳增生过程对我们了解全球板块构造如何塑造地球表面很重要。 这项为期两年的调查旨在建立一个快速扩展的洋中脊的三维脊地壳流模型。主要目的是检验沿轴地壳流动是否在快速扩展时 脊 如果快速海脊处的地幔上涌是三维的，那么，这足以使重力、地形、地壳厚度和其他可观测量平滑。这是区分目前关于洋中脊地幔流动和地壳增生的两种相互竞争的假说的关键。 这是一种廉价而有效的解决方法。 目前在快速扩张海脊的洋壳产生及其相关过程的困境。

9730685 Chen Mid-ocean ridges represent the longest plate boundaries on the earth's surface and their persistent volcanism has produced over half of the earth's crust. Understanding mantle upwelling and crustal accretion processes at mid- ocean ridges is important in our understanding how global plate tectonics work to shape the earth's surface. This proposed two-year investigation is designed to construct three-dimensional ridge crustal flow models at a fast spreading mid-ocean ridge. The main goal is to test if the along-axis crustal flow at fast spreading ridges is sufficient to smoothen the gravity, topography, crustal thickness and other observables if mantle upwelling at fast ridges is three-dimensional. This is the key to discriminate between the current two competing hypotheses for the mantle flow and crustal accretion at mid-ocean ridges. This is inexpensive and effective approach toward solving the current dilemma of the production of oceanic crust and its related processes at fast spreading ridges.