Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 24 July 1998:
Vol. 281. no. 5376, pp. 546 - 549
DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5376.546
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

A Correlation Between Ultra-Low Basal Velocities in the Mantle and Hot Spots

Q. Williams, J. Revenaugh, E. Garnero *

The statistical correlation between the locations of hot spots at the surface of Earth and the distribution of ultra-low-velocity zones at the base of the mantle has about a 1 percent chance of arising randomly. This correlation is more significant than that between hot spots and negative velocity anomalies in tomographic models of deep mantle compressional and shear velocity. This correlation is consistent with the notion that many hot spots originate in a low-velocity, probably partially molten layer at the core-mantle boundary and undergo little lateral deflection on ascent.

Department of Earth Sciences and Institute of Tectonics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
*   Present address: Seismological Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Tails of two plume types in one mantle.
A. Lenardic and A.M. Jellinek (2009)
Geology 37, 127-130
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Some recent advances in understanding the mineralogy of Earth's deep mantle.
T. S Duffy (2008)
Phil Trans R Soc A 366, 4273-4293
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Implications of lower-mantle structural heterogeneity for the existence and nature of whole-mantle plumes.
E. J. Garnero, T. Lay, and A. McNamara (2007)
Geological Society of America Special Papers 430, 79-101
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Approximate 3D Body-Wave Synthetics for Tomographic Models.
D. V. Helmberger and S. Ni (2005)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 95, 212-224
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Geochemical Evidence for Excess Iron in the Mantle Beneath Hawaii.
M. Humayun, L. Qin, and M. D. Norman (2004)
Science 306, 91-94
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Seismic Detection of Rigid Zones at the Top of the Core.
S. Rost and J. Revenaugh (2001)
Science 294, 1911-1914
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Pressure-induced transformations in deep mantle and core minerals.
R. J. Hemley, H. K. Mao, and S. A. Gramsch (2000)
Mineralogical Magazine 64, 157-184
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)