74 episodes

The Earth's mantle is almost entirely solid, but on geological timescales it convects vigorously, the well-known surface expression of this being plate tectonics. At depths up to ~100 km beneath plate-tectonic boundaries (mid-ocean ridges and subduction zones), and beneath ocean islands such as Hawaii, the mantle melts, and that melt rises to the surface to feed volcanism and form new crust. Such magmatism plays a key role in the chemical evolution and dynamics of our planet. Although the basic thermodynamics of melt generation in these settings is well understood, how the melt is transported to the surface is not, despite several decades of work on the problem. Furthermore, recent observational evidence suggests that mantle melting is not restricted to the near surface (top 100 km): it may occur within the mantle transition zone (410-660 km depth) and above the core-mantle boundary (2900 km). For these deeper instances of melting, an understanding of the dynamical and thermochemical characteristics is currently lacking.

Understanding the formation and migration of melt in the mantle presents a formidable scientific and mathematical challenge. One key challenge is in bridging diverse length scales - melt lies along grain boundaries at micron scales, may focus into channels at metre scales, and migrates over 100 km. Sophisticated mathematical techniques, such as homogenisation theory, are needed to map an understanding of physics at the smallest scales to plate-tectonic scales. Seismology offers a way to image melt in the mantle, but the development of new tools in inverse theory are required to extract that information. Models of melt transport are eventually cast as a series of coupled non-linear partial differential equations, which require advanced numerical techniques to solve. This programme will bring together a broad spectrum of mathematicians and solid Earth scientists to tackle these and other fundamental challenges of melt in the mantle.

Melt in the Mantle Cambridge University

    • Education

The Earth's mantle is almost entirely solid, but on geological timescales it convects vigorously, the well-known surface expression of this being plate tectonics. At depths up to ~100 km beneath plate-tectonic boundaries (mid-ocean ridges and subduction zones), and beneath ocean islands such as Hawaii, the mantle melts, and that melt rises to the surface to feed volcanism and form new crust. Such magmatism plays a key role in the chemical evolution and dynamics of our planet. Although the basic thermodynamics of melt generation in these settings is well understood, how the melt is transported to the surface is not, despite several decades of work on the problem. Furthermore, recent observational evidence suggests that mantle melting is not restricted to the near surface (top 100 km): it may occur within the mantle transition zone (410-660 km depth) and above the core-mantle boundary (2900 km). For these deeper instances of melting, an understanding of the dynamical and thermochemical characteristics is currently lacking.

Understanding the formation and migration of melt in the mantle presents a formidable scientific and mathematical challenge. One key challenge is in bridging diverse length scales - melt lies along grain boundaries at micron scales, may focus into channels at metre scales, and migrates over 100 km. Sophisticated mathematical techniques, such as homogenisation theory, are needed to map an understanding of physics at the smallest scales to plate-tectonic scales. Seismology offers a way to image melt in the mantle, but the development of new tools in inverse theory are required to extract that information. Models of melt transport are eventually cast as a series of coupled non-linear partial differential equations, which require advanced numerical techniques to solve. This programme will bring together a broad spectrum of mathematicians and solid Earth scientists to tackle these and other fundamental challenges of melt in the mantle.

    • video
    Melt migration at mid-ocean ridges: A tale in three acts

    Melt migration at mid-ocean ridges: A tale in three acts

    Montesi, L (University of Maryland)
    Thursday 16th June 2016 - 14:15 to 15:30

    • 57 min
    • video
    Discretizations and multigrid solver for problems related to fluid flow

    Discretizations and multigrid solver for problems related to fluid flow

    Grove, R (Clemson University)
    Thursday 26th May 2016 - 14:15 to 15:30

    • 41 min
    • video
    3D Numerical Modelling of Compressible Coupled Magma/Mantle Dynamics With Adaptive Mesh Refinement

    3D Numerical Modelling of Compressible Coupled Magma/Mantle Dynamics With Adaptive Mesh Refinement

    Heister, T - Dannberg, J (Texas A&M University)
    Friday 10th June 2016 - 09:00 to 11:00

    • 2 hr 22 min
    • video
    Seismic evidence for melt in the upper mantle

    Seismic evidence for melt in the upper mantle

    Kendall, M (University of Bristol)
    Friday 10th June 2016 - 11:30 to 12:30

    • 1 hr 4 min
    • video
    The permeability of deformable and reactive porous media

    The permeability of deformable and reactive porous media

    Neufeld, J (University of Cambridge)
    Friday 10th June 2016 - 14:00 to 14:45

    • 54 min
    • video
    Salt fluxes from sea ice: simple models of reactively dissolved channels

    Salt fluxes from sea ice: simple models of reactively dissolved channels

    Rees Jones, D (University of Oxford)
    Thursday 9th June 2016 - 14:45 to 15:30

    • 48 min

Top Podcasts In Education

The Mel Robbins Podcast
Mel Robbins
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
The Rich Roll Podcast
Rich Roll
TED Talks Daily
TED
Do The Work
Do The Work
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Podcast
Mark Manson

More by Cambridge University

Philosophy
Cambridge University
Darwin – Darwin College Lecture Series 2009
Cambridge University
Faculty of Classics
Cambridge University
Plagues – Darwin College Lecture Series 2014
Cambridge University
Combinatorics and Statistical Mechanics
Cambridge University
Cambridge Creative Writing Centre - Crime and Thriller
Cambridgeice