Structure of the core-mantle transition zone

Structure of the Core- Mantle Transition Zone: A Chemical and Thermal Boundary Layer

The core-mantle boundary (CMB) sepa­ rates dynamic systems with remarkable con­ trasts in composition and material properties (Table 1), comparable in magnitude to varia­ tions in properties across the surface of the solid Earth. A natural consequence of this pronounced stratification is the development of thermal and chemical boundary layers ad­ jacent to these interfaces, which thereby con­ s...

Mantle Transition Zone Topography and Structure Beneath the Yellowstone Hotspot

Spin transition zone in Earth's lower mantle.

Mineral properties in Earth's lower mantle are affected by iron electronic states, but representative pressures and temperatures have not yet been probed. Spin states of iron in lower-mantle ferropericlase have been measured up to 95 gigapascals and 2000 kelvin with x-ray emission in a laser-heated diamond cell. A gradual spin transition of iron occurs over a pressure-temperature range extendin...

Reactive infiltration of hydrous melt above the mantle transition zone

[1] Seismic studies repeatedly image a low‐velocity layer overlying the mantle transition zone in tectonic settings ranging from subduction zones to continental cratons. This layer has been hypothesized to result from the presence of a dense partial melt formed by dehydration melting as relatively wet transition zone material is advected by convection currents into the low‐water‐solubility uppe...

S velocity reversal in the mantle transition zone