Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
12-15-2023
Year of Publication
2023
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
Earth and Environmental Sciences (Geology)
Advisor
Dr. Keely A. O’Farrell
Abstract
Global mantle discontinuities and mantle transition zones are crucial to the earth’s evolution. By employing K-Means clustering, which belongs to cluster analysis in machine learning (ML), on shear velocity variation data, we generate heterogeneity percentage profiles for three different global tomographic models (Models S362WMANI+M, SEMUCB-WM1, and S40RTS). Key cluster percentage shifts, which are observed at around 400 km, 650 km, 1050 km, 1500 km, and 2700 km, suggest global mantle discontinuities at corresponding depths. All profiles also indicate a global discontinuity in the lower mantle between 2200 km and 2600 km. The middle mantle transition zone (MMTZ), bounded between 1050 km and 1500 km discontinuities, is detected for the first time. Mantle convection modeling with the global geoid is conducted using the HC code to demonstrate the viscosity jump in this new MMTZ.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2023.464
Recommended Citation
Wang, Yuping, "DISCOVERY OF THE MIDDLE MANTLE TRANSITION ZONE (MMTZ) AND ITS GEODYNAMIC SIGNIFICANCE" (2023). Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences. 104.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/ees_etds/104
