The effects of small-scale convection in the shallow lithosphere of the North Atlantic

• Published in: Geophysical Journal International
• Main Authors: Likerman, Jeremías, Zlotnik, Sergio, Li, Chun-Feng
• Other Authors: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament d'Enginyeria Civil i Ambiental, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. LACÀN - Mètodes Numèrics en Ciències Aplicades i Enginyeria
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Matemàtiques i estadística::Anàlisi numèrica::Mètodes numèrics; Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Matemàtiques i estadística::Matemàtica aplicada a les ciències; Numerical analysis > Simulation methods; Geophysics; Mantle processes; Atlantic Ocean; Magnetic anomalies: modelling and interpretation; Numerical modelling; Dynamics: convection currents; and mantle plumes; Mid-ocean ridge processes; Anàlisi numèrica; Geofísica; Classificació AMS::65 Numerical analysis::65C Probabilistic methods; simulation and stochastic differential equations; Classificació AMS::86 Geophysics; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2117/355118; https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggab286

Curie point depth can be used as a proxy for plate temperatures. Data from the North Atlantic (10°–50°N) are used here to determine if the observed oscillations and patterns in Curie depths could be a subproduct of small-scale thermal instabilities arising at the bottom of the lithospheric plates. Our numerical models suggest that small-scale convection (SSC) cells could produce thermal perturbations at isotherms as low as the Curie point. These results are compatible with North Atlantic observations in terms of wavelengths (150–300 km), amplitudes (~4 km) and orientations of the instabilities. Observed Curie-point depth oscillations before the onset (70 to 90 Myr) of SSC could also be linked to other different processes. We suggest that, in the case of the North Atlantic lithosphere, the spreading rate variation and the melt and upwelling could be intricately linked and cause a different pattern of SSC. JL acknowledges the funds project MATHROCKS funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement Nº 777778 and the Agencia Nacional de Promoci´on Cient´ıfica y Tecnol´ogica (PICT 2013-1309 and 2015-1229). SZ acknowledge the funds by Generalitat de Catalunya (grant number 1278 SGR 2017-2019) and Ministerio de Econom´ıa y Empresa and Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovaci´on y Universidades (grant number DPI2017-85139-C2-2-R), and the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41776057,41761134051 and 91858213) Peer Reviewed Postprint (author's final draft)