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The Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary

The Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary
The Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary
Seismological models of upper-mantle structure are providing new constraints on the physical and chemical properties that differentiate the lithosphere from the asthenosphere. A wide variety of studies are consistent with an oceanic lithosphere that corresponds to a dry, chemically depleted layer over a hydrated, fertile asthenosphere. At the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath oceans and many Phanerozoic continental regions, observed seismic velocity gradients require a contrast in mantle hydration, fertility, and/or melt content, perhaps in combination with a vertical gradient in velocity anisotropy. Beneath cratons, evidence is growing for a deeper—but globally ubiquitous—asthenosphere. Some studies conclude that the cratonic lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is gradual enough to be matched by a purely thermal gradient, whereas others indicate a more rapid transition and a contrast in composition or perhaps melt content.
0084-6597
551-575
Fischer, Karen M.
5acb751d-c894-4a40-b944-cea48b0ad966
Ford, Heather A.
864744d9-ee73-4eb2-90cf-bf0155dc47f7
Abt, David L.
7e456549-b9c2-4d07-a8f1-fa0723e37320
Rychert, Catherine A.
70cf1e3a-58ea-455a-918a-1d570c5e53c5
Fischer, Karen M.
5acb751d-c894-4a40-b944-cea48b0ad966
Ford, Heather A.
864744d9-ee73-4eb2-90cf-bf0155dc47f7
Abt, David L.
7e456549-b9c2-4d07-a8f1-fa0723e37320
Rychert, Catherine A.
70cf1e3a-58ea-455a-918a-1d570c5e53c5

Fischer, Karen M., Ford, Heather A., Abt, David L. and Rychert, Catherine A. (2010) The Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 38 (1), 551-575. (doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-040809-152438).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Seismological models of upper-mantle structure are providing new constraints on the physical and chemical properties that differentiate the lithosphere from the asthenosphere. A wide variety of studies are consistent with an oceanic lithosphere that corresponds to a dry, chemically depleted layer over a hydrated, fertile asthenosphere. At the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath oceans and many Phanerozoic continental regions, observed seismic velocity gradients require a contrast in mantle hydration, fertility, and/or melt content, perhaps in combination with a vertical gradient in velocity anisotropy. Beneath cratons, evidence is growing for a deeper—but globally ubiquitous—asthenosphere. Some studies conclude that the cratonic lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is gradual enough to be matched by a purely thermal gradient, whereas others indicate a more rapid transition and a contrast in composition or perhaps melt content.

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Published date: 2010
Organisations: Geology & Geophysics

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Local EPrints ID: 351770
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/351770
ISSN: 0084-6597
PURE UUID: a5525cc9-3476-4908-abec-1be964bb2192

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Date deposited: 24 Apr 2013 10:35
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 13:43

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Contributors

Author: Karen M. Fischer
Author: Heather A. Ford
Author: David L. Abt

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