Mantle mapped in the desert

Article Abstract:

A report is presented describing the field and lab analyses aimed at understanding how events in the mantle underlying oceanic spreading centers produce ridge segmentation. The thermal structure of the mantle is determined by analyzing the chemical composition of basalts-rocks that are solidified from magmas erupted at the surface at places such as spreading centers.

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Grain boundaries as reservoirs of incompatible elements in the Earth's mantle

Article Abstract:

A thermodynamic model is introduced which predicts that grain boundaries can be the primary storage sites for elements with large ionic radius, which are compatible elements in the Earth's mantle. This provides a mechanism for the selective extraction of the elements and gives a framework for interpreting geochemical signatures in mantle rocks.

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The mantle deformed

Article Abstract:

A whole new understanding of the planet's dynamics emerged with the discovery of plate tectonics and mantle convection. Matter can flow within the seemingly solid regions of the deep Earth, and these processes often control the surface of dynamics.

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