Special Seismo Lab Seminar

The lithosphere is commonly considered Earth's upper thermal boundary layer through which heat transfers via diffusion. However, both oceanic and continental lithospheres suffer widespread non-diffusive tectonic activities like intraplate volcanism, lithosphere thickness variation and abrupt topographic changes. Published models for these phenomena largely fall into deep-rooted mantle plumes and shallow mantle dynamics. We investigate these processes for both oceanic and continental regions through evolutionary Earth models. Here I will provide a discussion on the recent progress in understanding the origin of intraplate volcanism, continental lithosphere evolution, as well as implications for surpercontinent cycles.