Showing papers by "Nicolas Coltice published in 2009"
TL;DR: Coltice et al. as discussed by the authors used 3D numerical simulations of mantle convection to show that the mantle global warming model could explain the peculiarities of magmatic provinces that developed during the formation of Pangea and Rodinia, as well as putative Archaean supercontinents such as Kenorland and Zimvaalbara.
158 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conclude that the most likely explanation is the accumulation of the residues of melting of one or more mantle plumes following by gravity-driven ejection of denser, Fe-rich components.
110 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model of thermo-chemical readjustment was proposed to study the evolution of a metal diapir and compared to numerical simulations in axisymmetric spherical geometry and with variable viscosity.
70 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the present-day mantle abundances of xenon isotopes contributed by extinct and extant radioactivities are used to constrain thermal and magmatic evolution models of the early Earth.
31 citations
01 Dec 2009
TL;DR: In this article, the present-day mantle abundances of xenon isotopes contributed by extinct and extant radioactivities are used to constrain thermal and magmatic evolution models of the early Earth.
Abstract: The thermal regime of the Earth's interior during the Hadean (the first 700 My after the birth of the solar system) is subject to debate. Evidence for a hotter mantle stems from the abundance of magnesian lavas (komatiites) in the Archean, although their generation might have also resulted from different (hydrous) melting conditions. In this contribution, the present-day mantle abundances of xenon isotopes contributed by extinct and extant radioactivities are used to constrain thermal and magmatic evolution models of the early Earth. Results show that, in the Hadean, heat could escape at a rate much faster than Today. Heat loss from the mantle was driven by magmatism rather than by conduction through the lithospheric lid, precluding modern style plate tectonics. Around the Hadean–Archean transition, a drastic change in the thermal regime led to a secular cooling rate comparable to the modern one, in probable relation to the onset of plate tectonics. Our model also suggests that solid-state convection started later than 50 My after the formation of the solar system, a view consistent with proposed ages for the Moon-forming impact.
6 citations