Experimental pictures of deformation patterns in a possible model of the Earth's interior

Abstract

Geophysical calculations and observations of the Earth's properties have previously established that the motion of tectonic plates and associated geological hazards are driven by extensive rock displacement in the mantle of our planet. The progressive deformation of mantle rock by solid-state convection, so far only studied in two-dimensional numerical computer simulations, can now also be studied three-dimensionally in a real fluid. Two billion years of structural developments in the Earth's upper mantle can be visualized within one hour of flow in the laboratory, assuming one particular mode of (upper) mantle circulation.