Constraining the rheology of the lower mantle with the global trend in slab sinking

Constraining the rheology of the lower mantle with the global trend in slab sinking | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article Constraining the rheology of the lower mantle with the global trend in slab sinking Wim Spakman, Hana Čížková, Patrick Cordier This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5805059/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The rheology of Earth’s lower mantle plays a crucial role in shaping mantle convection and consequently in planetary evolution but is still under debate1. Propositions differ on the rheology of ferropericlase, whether it is stronger2 or weaker than bridgmanite1,3,4, the majority phase, but especially also on the mechanism by which bridgmanite deforms, either by pure diffusion creep1,5-7 or by pure dislocation climb2,8-10, or possibly in combination. Here we put the pure climb creep rheology to practice in mantle convection experiments with a novel focus on the role of atomic self-diffusion which is pivotal for the effectiveness in mantle convection of both diffusion creep and pure climb creep. From flow models that achieve a close fit to the inferred trend in slab sinking11, we introduce new constraints on the coefficient of self-diffusion. From this we show that pure climb creep prevails over diffusion creep in high-stress regions where the lower mantle deforms most strongly, i.e., ambient to sinking slabs and rising plumes, at last providing more clarity on the rheology of the lower mantle. An immediate implication is that the supposed ancient bridgmanite-enrichment below ~1000 km12,13 can only have survived in low-stress regions remote from sinking slabs and rising plumes and is subordinate for the style of mantle convection. The stress-dependence of pure climb creep leads to a dynamic viscosity field, a propensity for localization of flow in high-stress regions and fast plume ascent. Flow speeds are 1-2 cm/a ambient to sinking slabs and rising plumes and sub-cm/a flow elsewhere. In all, this predicts a much different dynamic role of the lower mantle than modelled so far in the investigating of Earth and rocky planets alike. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geodynamics Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geophysics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SIGuide.docx SIGuide SIVideo1Fig2aML90321915.mp4 Supplementary Video 1 Slab sinking behavior as a function of yield stress and vacancy concentration of 4 models of Fig. 2a. SIVideo2Fig2aML140111104118.mp4 Supplementary Video 2 Slab sinking behavior as a function of yield stress and vacancy concentration of 4 other models of Fig. 2a. SIVideo3Fig2bML147148112146.mp4 Supplementary Video 3 Slab sinking behavior as a function of yield stress and vacancy concentration of 4 models of Fig. 2b. SIvideo4Fig2bML12210212397.mp4 Supplementary Video 4 Slab sinking behavior as a function of yield stress and vacancy concentration of 4 other models of Fig. 2b SIVideo5ML10297112147.mp4 Supplementary Video 5 Slab sinking models corresponding to the vacancy concentration range obtained SIVideo6stressML10297112147.mp4 Supplementary Video 6 The stress field evolution in the models of SI Video 4 SIVideo7strainrateML10297112147.mp4 Supplementary Video 7 The strain rate field evolution in the models of SI Video 4 SIVideo8absvelML10297112147.mp4 Supplementary Video 8 The amplitude of the mantle flow obtained for the models of SI Video 4 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5805059","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":415407005,"identity":"1ab0267a-5f70-4fbf-b506-bebbe2a4bf6a","order_by":0,"name":"Wim 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Propositions differ on the rheology of ferropericlase, whether it is stronger2 or weaker than bridgmanite1,3,4, the majority phase, but especially also on the mechanism by which bridgmanite deforms, either by pure diffusion creep1,5-7 or by pure dislocation climb2,8-10, or possibly in combination. Here we put the pure climb creep rheology to practice in mantle convection experiments with a novel focus on the role of atomic self-diffusion which is pivotal for the effectiveness in mantle convection of both diffusion creep and pure climb creep. From flow models that achieve a close fit to the inferred trend in slab sinking11, we introduce new constraints on the coefficient of self-diffusion. From this we show that pure climb creep prevails over diffusion creep in high-stress regions where the lower mantle deforms most strongly, i.e., ambient to sinking slabs and rising plumes, at last providing more clarity on the rheology of the lower mantle. An immediate implication is that the supposed ancient bridgmanite-enrichment below ~1000 km12,13 can only have survived in low-stress regions remote from sinking slabs and rising plumes and is subordinate for the style of mantle convection. The stress-dependence of pure climb creep leads to a dynamic viscosity field, a propensity for localization of flow in high-stress regions and fast plume ascent. Flow speeds are 1-2 cm/a ambient to sinking slabs and rising plumes and sub-cm/a flow elsewhere. 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