Penetrative Convection in Earth's Mantle : a Test Using Whole-Earth Geochemical Model.

Abstract

The nature of mantle convection within the Earth remains one of the most important unanswered questions regarding Earth evolution. Two competing theories have been proposed; one backed primarily by geochemists invoking two separately convecting homogeneous upper and lower reservoirs, and the other backed primarily by geophysicists invoking a single incompletely stirred reservoir. The recently proposed Penetrative Convection Model offers a reconciliation of the two perspectives. Here we present whole-Earth geochemical models that apply the dynamics of the Penetrative Convection Model and follow the geochemical evolution of the upper and lower mantles.