How has continental lithosphere evolved? Processes of assembly, growth, transformation and destruction. Novel in-situ analytical and dating techniques will be used on samples from the Earth's mantle and deep crust to define the processes by which the continents and their roots (to depths of 250 km) have been formed, modified or destroyed at different times throughout Earth's 4.6 billion year evolution. The role of oceanic plateaus and mantle plumes in building protocontinents or modifying lithos ....How has continental lithosphere evolved? Processes of assembly, growth, transformation and destruction. Novel in-situ analytical and dating techniques will be used on samples from the Earth's mantle and deep crust to define the processes by which the continents and their roots (to depths of 250 km) have been formed, modified or destroyed at different times throughout Earth's 4.6 billion year evolution. The role of oceanic plateaus and mantle plumes in building protocontinents or modifying lithospheric volumes will be evaluated. The results will provide a more robust framework for interpreting the architecture of Earth's lithosphere and will have relevance to the formation and location of resources such as Ni, PGEs, Au and diamonds.Read moreRead less
Three-dimensional flow, temperature and melting distributions in mantle subduction zones. We will predict spatial distributions and time evolution of temperature and magma production in subduction zones, where cold oceanic plates sink into the Earth's mantle, recycle crust and sediments, and generate volcanic arcs. Three-dimensional laboratory experiments, including 3-D flow visualization and high-resolution temperature measurements, will model slab segments, different rates and modes of subduct ....Three-dimensional flow, temperature and melting distributions in mantle subduction zones. We will predict spatial distributions and time evolution of temperature and magma production in subduction zones, where cold oceanic plates sink into the Earth's mantle, recycle crust and sediments, and generate volcanic arcs. Three-dimensional laboratory experiments, including 3-D flow visualization and high-resolution temperature measurements, will model slab segments, different rates and modes of subduction and upward transport of melt. Ocean trench migration (?rollback? subduction) is of special interest because it gives patterns of temperature and vertical motion most conducive to melting. Results will be used to interpret geochemical and seismic data from the Tonga subduction zone in the South Pacific.Read moreRead less