Modelling of geological fluid flows

该提案资助的研究将通过数值模拟的方式帮助我们更好地理解地幔中的对流以及其他具有流体力学性质的地质现象。地幔中的热对流控制着地球冷却的速度，并为板块构造运动提供动力。这些是许多重要的地表地质作用的原因。通过地球表面的火山活动，地幔中的对流也导致地球分化为不同的地幔层和地壳层。地幔位于地核之上，因此控制着地核冷却的速度，而冷却的速度又影响着地核在冻结过程中生长的速度以及地球磁场的产生。我对了解地球内部的详细热能收支和上述过程的历史非常感兴趣。为了研究地幔相变、黏度和地球化学的不同分布等因素如何影响地幔热传输效率和地球的长期演化，建立地幔对流模型是必要的。我还提议启动一个项目，对火星和其他类地行星的热演化进行建模，以帮助了解这些行星与我们自己的行星之间的异同。

The research funded by this proposal will help us to better understand convection in Earth's mantle as well as other geological phenomena that are fluid mechanical in nature by means of numerical modelling. Thermal convection in the Earth's mantle is the process that controls the rate at which Earth is cooling and it supplies the driving force for plate tectonic motions. These are the cause of many important surface geological processes. Convection in Earth's mantle has also lead to the differentiation of the Earth into distinct layers of mantle and crust through volcanism at the Earth's surface. The mantle sits atop the core and hence controls the rate at which the core is cooling which affects the rate at which the inner core is growing through freezing as well as the generation of the Earth's magnetic field. I am very interested in understanding the detailed thermal energy budget of the earth's interior and the history of the above mentioned processes. Modelling of convection in Earth's mantle is necessary in order to investigate how factors such as mantle phase transitions and differing distributions of viscosity and geochemistry can affect the efficiency of heat transport in the mantle and Earth's long-term evolution. I also propose to initiate a program of modelling the thermal evolution of Mars and the other terrestrial planets in order to help understand the similarities and differences between these planets and our own.