New views of the Earth's interior

The Earth beneath our feet is a complex place. James Wookey reports on a meeting that took a broad multidisciplinary approach to understanding its composition, structure and dynamics.     

地球内部结构及其密度分布特征研究综述

地球内部密度结构是了解其构造特征及性质的重要参数.根据全球性模型的回顾分析可了解地球内部密度的基本特征,垂向的分层性和横向不均一是全球性的密度特征.对地球浅层地壳特别是沉积层,岩石采样的密度测试和速度-密度关系研究为揭示其密度特征提供了重要依据.在总结和分析前人速度-密度关系研究的基础上,本文进一步给出了具有更好适用性...     

Rare gas systematics: formation of the atmosphere, evolution and structure of the Earth's mantle

To explain the rare gas content and isotopic composition measured in modern terrestrial materials we explore in this paper an Earth model based on four reservoirs: atmosphere, continental crust, upper mantle and lower mantle.This exploration employs three tools: mass balance equations, the concept of mean age of outgassing and the systematic use of all of the rare gases involving both absolute amount and isotopic composition.The results obtained are as follows: half of the Earth's mantle is 99% outgassed. Outgassing occurred in an early very intense stage within the first 50 Ma of Earth history and a slow continuous stage which continues to the present day. The mean age of the atmosphere is 4.4 Ga.Our model with four main reservoirs explains quantitatively both isotopic and chemical ratios, assuming that He migrates from the lower to the upper mantle whereas the heavy rare gases did not.Noble gas fluxes for He, Ar and Xe from different reservoirs have been estimated. The results constrain the K content in the earth to 278 ppm. Several geodynamic consequences are discussed.     

Models for the origin and composition of the earth,and the hypothesis of potassium in the Earth's core

Progress in understanding the condensation of planetary constituents from a solar nebula necessitates a re-examination of models for the origin and composition of the Earth. All models which appear to be viable require the Earth to have an Fe–FeS core and the full, or nearly full, solar (i.e. chondritic) K/Si ratio. The crust and upper mantle do not contain the requisite potassium for the entire Earth to have the solar K/Si ratio. Therefore, these models require that much of the Earth's potassium, about 80–90%, must be in the deep interior—in the lower mantle or in the core.The hypothesis that a substantial fraction of the Earth's potassium is in the Fe–FeS core is based on the chalcophilic behavior of potassium. Data including the stability of K₂S, the occurrence of potassium in sulfide phases in meteorites and in metallurgical systems, and most importantly, experiments on potassium partitioning between solid silicates and Fe–FeS melts support this hypothesis. The present data appear to require at least several percent of the Earth's total potassium to be in the core. Incorporation of much larger amounts of potassium into the core, possibly most of the 80–90% of the Earth's potassium which is postulated to be in the deep interior, is not contradicted by the present data. Additional experimental data, at high pressures, are required before quantitative estimates of the core's potassium content can be made.It is likely that⁴⁰K is a significant heat source in the core. Decay of⁴⁰K is a plausible energy source to drive core convection to maintain the geomagnetic field, and to drive mantle convection and seafloor spreading.     

Call for papers on Imaging of Earth's interior,earthquake rupture,and fault zone processes with a seismic array

<正>The emerging large-scale seismic arrays, such as the HiNet, USArray, across the globe has opened a new era for imaging the Earth’s interior as well as studying earthquake rupture and fault zone proc-     

Call for papers on Imaging of Earth's interior,earthquake rupture,and fault zone processes with a seismic array

正The emerging large-scale seismic arrays,such as the HiNet,USArray,across the globe has opened a new era for imaging the Earth's interior as well as studying earthquake rupture and fault zone processes.To better monitor the seismic activity in the Mainland China,the Chinese Earthquake Admini     

Stability relation of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 garnets, major constituents in the Earth's interior

High-pressure and high temperature experiments at 20 GPa on (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ have revealed stability fields of two types of aluminium-free ferromagnesian garnets; non-cubic garnet and cubic garnet (majorite). Majorite garnet is stable only within a limited compositional variation, 0.2 < Fe/(Mg + Fe)< 0.4, and in the narrow temperature interval of 200°C around 2000°C, while the stability of non-cubic garnet with more iron-deficient compositions persists up to higher temperatures. These two garnets show fractional melting into iron-deficient garnet and iron-rich liquid, and the crystallization field of cubic garnet extends over Fe/(Mg + Fe)= 0.5. The assemblage silicate spinel and stishovite is a low-temperature phase, which also occurs in the iron-rich portion of the MgSiO₃—FeSiO₃ system. The sequence as given by the Fe/(Mg + Fe) value for the coexisting phases with the two garnets at 2000°C and 20 GPa is: silicate modified spinel aluminium-free garnets silicate spinel.Natural majorite in shock-metamorphosed chondrites is clarified to be produced at pressures above 20 GPa and temperatures around 2000°C. Similar shock events may cause the occurrence of non-cubic garnet in iron-deficient meteorites. Non-cubic garnet could be a stable phase in the Earth's mantle if a sufficiently low concentration of aluminium is present in the layer corresponding to the stable pressure range of non-cubic garnet. The chemical differentiation by melting in the deep mantle is also discussed on the basis of the present experimental results and the observed coexistence of majorite garnet with magnesiowüstite in chondrites.     

1690～2000年地磁场能量的三维分布及其长期变化

利用Bloxham & Jackson 地磁场模型和国际参考地磁场模型(IGRF),研究了1690～2000年地磁总能量及其北向、东向和垂直向分量的能量以及非偶极子磁场的能量在地球内部的分布及长期变化.结果表明,地表和地核以外地磁场总能量及其北向和垂直向的能量是持续衰减的,垂直向的磁场能量占总能量的64％以上,对总能量的贡献起主要作用;东向分量的能量随时间的变化以增加为主.地磁场的能量变化率存在56年的周期,主要是由偶极子磁场产生的.地表以外的非偶极子磁能从减小到增大转折出现在1770年,比地核以外滞后40年.地球内部磁能随时间的变化显示,偶极子磁能逐渐减小,非偶极子磁能增加,越靠近核幔边界增加越快;偶极子和非偶极子磁能的变化量相等的分界面在距地心3780km处.从核幔边界到地表,磁能变化的衰减非偶极子比偶极子快,表明偶极子磁场比非偶极子磁场有更深的场源.     

The influence of Tethyan evolution on changes of the Earth's past environment

Understanding changes in Earth’s past can provide valuable insights into prediction of its future. An example is the interactions between the internal and external spheres of Earth. The cyclical northward breakup-drift of Gondwana, driven by the opening and closure of Proto-, Paleo-, and Neo-Tethyan oceans, facilitated the transfer of landmasses from the southern to the northern hemisphere, traversing the tropic region. We have observed a compelling correlation between episodic increases in land...     

The electrical state of the earth's interior and the origin of the earth's main magnetic field

Summary From the standpoint of the electrical state of the earth's interior as inferred from both geophysical and physical researches, the possibility ofElsasser-Bullard's theory is discussed. The electromagnetic shielding within the earth's mantle is also taken into account. It is of interest that the theory seems to well harmonize with the electrical state considered.     

骆马湖的成因与演变

骆马湖位于江苏北部,其湖盆是由郯庐大断裂带活动而形成的断裂凹陷.地质时期曾因古水文网的变化而成湖。历史时期因黄河南移夺泗、淮后,黄、沂诸水屡屡漫溢,到明代终于集水潴积于湖盆而成一较大之湖泊.后因黄河泥沙严重淤积及围垦之兴起,到民国时前后三百余年终于淤积面消亡成陆.1958年随治淮工程开展,经筑堤闸,拦蓄沂、运之水又复新生。     

鄱阳湖成因与演变的历史论证

本文通过大量史料分析和地质钻孔证据,认为鄱阳湖大水面形成于公元400年前后,为距今约1600年的年青湖泊。鄱阳湖形成的直接和主导因素是长江主泓道南移到湖口一带,因江水阻碍赣江水的下泄,使湖泊水域向南扩张,到唐初面积最大时曾达6000km~2。之后,鄱阳湖水位和面积的变化主要取决于湖口处长江水位的变化。     

Age of the Taishu Group,southwestern Japan,and implications for the origin and evolution of the Japan Sea

The Taishu Group, a marine formation with a thickness of >5400 m, crops out on Tsushima Island, located in the southwestern Japan Sea. The group, which is generally regarded as early Eocene to early Miocene in age, provides important information about the tectonic setting of the Japan Sea. In this study, we present new SHRIMP U–Pb dates for igneous zircons from the Kunehama Tuff, which is in the basal part of the Taishu Group, and the Oobaura Tuff, which is in the uppermost part of the group. Results show that the Taishu Group was deposited rapidly, during the short interval of 17.9–15.9 Ma (early–middle Miocene), and is equivalent to other early–middle Miocene strata found in the Japan Sea region. Our results provide new constraints on the geological history of the Japan Sea and its islands.     

Vortex evolution due to straining: a mechanism for dominance of strong,interior anticyclones

In this article we address two questions: Why do freely evolving vortices weaken on average, even when the viscosity is very small? Why, in the fluid's interior, away from vertical boundaries and under the influence of Earth's rotation and stable density stratification, do anticyclonic vortices become dominant over cyclonic ones when the Rossby number and deformation radius are finite? The context for answering these questions is a rotating, conservative, Shallow-water model with Asymmetric and Gradient-wind Balance approximations. The controlling mechanisms are vortex weakening under straining deformation (with a weakening that is substantially greater for strong cyclones than strong anticyclones) followed by a partially compensating vortex strengthening during a relaxation phase dominated by Vortex Rossby Waves (VRWs) and their eddy–mean interaction with the vortex. The outcome is a net, strain-induced vortex weakening that is greater for cyclones than anticyclones when the deformation radius is not large compared to the vortex radius and the Rossby number is not small. Furthermore, when the exterior strain flow is sustained, the vortex changes also are sustained: for small Rossby number (i.e., the quasigeostrophic limit, QG), vortices continue to weaken at a relatively modest rate, but for larger Rossby number, cyclones weaken strongly and anticyclones actually strengthen systematically when the deformation radius is comparable to the vortex radius. The sustained vortex changes are associated with strain-induced VRWs on the periphery of the mean vortex. It therefore seems likely that, in a complex flow with many vortices, anticyclonic dominance develops over a sequence of transient mutual straining events due to the greater robustness of anticyclones (and occasionally their net strengthening).     

Tectono-magmatic evolution of the West Philippine-Mariana region and the origin of boninites

Re-examination of published data on the tectomagmatic evolution of the West Philippine-Mariana region indicate that arc magmatism and back-arc extensional pulses are not synchronous but are largely asynchronous. Arc volcanism ceases within a few million years of the development of a back-arc basin, and recommences oceanward on a new arc during the final stages in the development of the back-arc basin. Following Karig's model, we believe that ascent beneath the arc axial chain of a line of diapirs of MORB-source mantle interferes with processes of arc magma generation and arc magmatism wanes. Partial melting of the diapirs produces voluminous MORB-type tholeiites which split the arc and form the crust of a widening back-arc basin.We show for both the West Philippine-Mariana region, and occurrences of boninite-like lavas in ophiolites, that boninites appear to be erupted after arc magmatism and immediately before eruption of MORB-type lavas.Passage of a diapir of hot MORB-source mantle through refractory sub-arc peridotite which has been enriched in LILE and H₂O, will result in limited partial melting of the hydrous peridotite and the restricted production of boninitic magmas. These are more likely to erupt modified or only slightly modified by crystal fractionation through the thin forearc crust. Continued ascent of the MORB-source mantle diapir will result in it partially melting to yield MORB tholeiites which erupt shortly after, and in considerably more voluminous amounts, than the boninites.Finally we suggest that forearcs regions are likely to be incorporated into foldbelts and that boninite (or low-Ti lava)-bearing ophiolites may characterize such regions.     

中国地球深部物理学和动力学研究16大重要论点、论据与科学导向

中国地球深部物理学与动力学的研究始于20世纪50年代,半个多世纪以来这一创新性工作取得了重大进展.基于我国大陆陆缘和邻近海域壳、幔结构的分区特征和不均匀性展布,特别是在印度洋板块、太平洋板块和欧亚板块的相互作用下形成了一个破碎镶嵌的块体组合.因为资源、能源、灾害的形成和动力机制均为地球内部物质与能量的交换所致.为此表明:地球内部结构和深层动力过程的研究与探索在成山、成盆、成岩、成矿和成灾过程中有着极为重要的作用.半个多世纪以来我国在该领域中,不论是理论、方法和探测技术诸多方面已有着较丰富的积累,并首先提出了16大论点与论据,它们是重要的科学导向.这不仅促进了我国在20世纪百年里地球科学的发展,而更为重要的是提出了一系列的有待研究和探索的科学问题.在21世纪的进程中,地球物理学必须牢牢地把握国家战略需求和自主创新,方能有所发现和突破.为此我们必须深化对地球本体的认识.     

Velocity-density systematics,mean atomic weight,and the interior of the moon

Mean atomic weight profiles for the lunar mantle have been calculated from velocity-density systematic relations using lunar density and seismic velocity models. Despite large variability among the models, the calculation including Poisson's ratio yields a range of mean atomic weight values between 22 and 23 g mol^?1 below 150 km. A similar calculation for the Earth's mantle produces a mean atomic weight of 21.1 ±0.4 g mol^?1. This suggests that the Moon cannot be derived directly from the Earth's mantle, or that it has had a differentiation history different from the Earth's. The lunar $\text{m}\text{'}\text{s}$ require an Fe mole fraction between 0.25 and 0.33 for a pure olivine mantle, or between 0.33 and 0.45 for pure pyroxene.The present profiles are 0.5–3.0 g mol^?1 higher than those calculated from lunar compositional models based on lunar rock compositions and petrology and assumed lunar histories, indicating inadequacies in either the seismic or compositional models, or in both. The mean atomic weight approach provides a method of comparing the consistency of seismic and compositional models of planetary interiors.