The effect of spatial variations in viscosity on the structure of mantle flows

Abstract

According to an opinion widespread in the literature, high viscosity regions (HVRs) in the mantle always affect the structure of mantle flows, changing it in both the HVR itself and the entire mantle. Moreover, a simplified relation is often adopted according to which the flow velocity in the HVR decreases in inverse proportion to viscosity. Therefore, in order to treat a smoother value, some authors introduce a new variable equal to the product of the flow velocity and the viscosity value in a given place. On the basis of numerical modeling, this paper shows that HVRs of two types should be distinguished in the mantle. If an HVR is immobile, mantle flows actually do not penetrate it. If the viscosity increase is more than five orders, the HVR behaves as a solid and flow velocities within it almost vanish. However, if an HVR is free, it moves together with the mantle flow. Then, the general structure of flows changes weakly and flow velocities within the HVR become approximately equal to the average velocity of flows in the absence of the HVR. Horizontal layers and vertical columns differing in viscosity from the mantle behave as regions of the first type, whose flow velocities can differ by a few orders. However, even such large-scale regions as the continental lithosphere, whose viscosity is four to five orders higher than in the surrounding mantle, float together with continents at velocities comparable to mantle flows, i.e., behave as regions of the second type.