This review discusses the attempts that have been made by geologists to numerically simulate the evolution of microstructures in rocks. The strengths and weaknesses of the differing techniques are compared and equivalent materials science results are included. In particular we focus on the application of techniques that have been used to predict texture development, grain boundary geometries, d...

We review the resolution currently available with seismic tomography, in particular the ability of seismic waves to image mantle plumes, and discuss frequently asked questions about artifacts, interpretation and possible systematic errors. These aspects are discussed in more detail for two case histories offering different problems in the tomographic interpretation: Iceland and Hawaii. Regional...

Plio–Pleistocene (3.4–0.125 Ma) post-plateau magmatism in the Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires (MLBA; 46.7jS) in southern Patagonia is linked with the formation of asthenospheric slab windows due to ridge collision along the Andean margin f 6 Ma ago. MLBA post-plateau lavas are highly alkaline (43–49% SiO2; 5–8% Na2O+K2O), relatively primitive (6–10% MgO) mafic volcanics that have strong OIB-like g...

The Azores archipelago is a classic expression of a hotspot that has interacted with a mid-ocean ridge. A variety of geochemical studies and geophysical observations point to the influence of some sort of mantle plume on the formation of the Azores Plateau and the adjacent Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), but the mantle structure beneath the Azores has not heretofore been imaged tomographically at a s...

Hydrogen concentration gradients reported in olivines from several peridotite xenoliths (Demouchy, 2004; Peslier and Luhr, 2006) have been interpreted as evidence of hydrogen loss during ascent to the surface. However, a review of hydrogen diffusion data in anhydrous minerals (Ingrin and Blanchard, 2006) provides new constraints on the possible origin of these heterogeneities. The amount of hyd...

The elemental defense hypothesis proposes that some plants hyperaccumulate toxic elements as a defense mechanism. In this study the effectiveness of selenium (Se) as an arthropod deterrent was investigated under field conditions. Arthropod loads were measured over two growing seasons in Se hyperaccumulator habitats in Colorado, USA, comparing Se hyperaccumulator species (Astragalus bisulcatus a...

[1] Drilling during ODP Leg 209, dredging, and submersible dives have delineated an anomalous stretch of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge north and south of the 15 200N Fracture Zone. The seafloor here consists dominantly of mantle peridotite with gabbroic intrusions that in places is covered by a thin, discontinuous extrusive volcanic layer. Thick lithosphere (10–20 km) in this region inhibits magma fro...

Trieloff et al. (1) provided neon isotope data to argue that mantle neon originates as a trapped component in meteorites rather than having a pristine solar composition. That finding, if true, has important consequences for understanding the mechanism of volatile input into the mantle, because it rules out models involving direct incorporation of solar gases. The main argument that Trieloff et ...

[1] Interpretation of the EarthScope MT (magnetotelluric) data requires the development of a large‐scale inversion method which can address two common problems of 3D MT inversion: computational time andmemory requirements. We have developed an efficient method of 3D MT inversion based on an IE (integral equation) formulation of the MT forward modeling problem and a receiver footprint approach, ...