Dynamics of plumes in a compressible mantle with phase changes: Implications for phase boundary topography

Abstract

While plumes rising from the deep mantle may be responsible for hotspot volcanism, their existence has not yet been unambiguously confirmed by seismological studies. Several seismic studies reported that the topography of the 670-km discontinuity is flat below hotspots, which disagrees with the elevation expected due to its negative Clapeyron slope and plume excess temperature. An improved numerical method that includes compressibility and consistently implemented phase transitions is used to study plume evolution in the Earth’s mantle. The influence of latent heat on plume behavior for varying convective vigor and Clapeyron slope of the endothermic phase change at 670km depth is studied in axisymmetric spherical shell geometry. Minor differences in plume dynamics are found for models considering and neglecting latent heat. Three regimes of plume behavior at the endothermic phase boundary are observed: besides complete plume inhibition and penetration along the symmetry axis an intermediate regime in which the plume forms a ring around the symmetry axis is found.These models also predict that the 670-km discontinuity is flat below hotspots due to a large plume head in the lower mantle of about 1000km diameter that significantly thins as it rises into the upper mantle. This is explained by the lower viscosity in the upper mantle and the spreading of the temporarily inhibited plume below the endothermic phase boundary, which reconciles the flat 670-km discontinuity with a deep mantle plume origin.