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- P. G. Silver
- Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
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- W. E. Holt
- State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
書誌事項
- 公開日
- 2002-02-08
- DOI
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- 10.1126/science.1066878
- 公開者
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
この論文をさがす
説明
<jats:p>Although motions at the surface of tectonic plates are well determined, the accompanying horizontal mantle flow is not. We have combined observations of surface deformation and upper mantle seismic anisotropy to estimate this flow field for western North America. We find that the mantle velocity is 5.5 ± 1.5 centimeters per year due east in a hot spot reference frame, nearly opposite to the direction of North American plate motion (west-southwest). The flow is only weakly coupled to the motion of the surface plate, producing a small drag force. This flow field is probably due to heterogeneity in mantle density associated with the former Farallon oceanic plate beneath North America.</jats:p>
収録刊行物
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- Science
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Science 295 (5557), 1054-1057, 2002-02-08
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
