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Seismic‐geodynamic determination of the origin of excess ellipticity of the core‐mantle boundary
Author(s) -
Forte Alessandro M.,
Mitrovica Jerry X.,
Woodward Robert L.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/95gl01065
Subject(s) - core–mantle boundary , mantle (geology) , geology , geophysics , mantle convection , inner core , nutation , outer core , convection , structure of the earth , geodynamics , mechanics , seismology , physics , tectonics , lithosphere , astronomy
We demonstrate that the excess dynamic ellipticity of the core‐mantle‐boundary (CMB) inferred from the period of the Earth's retrograde free core nutation (RFCN) may be explained in terms of viscous stresses generated by mantle convective flow. The 3D elastic structure and radial viscosity profile which define the model used in the viscous flow calculations are constrained to simultaneously reconcile a large set of seismic and geodynamic data.