Cold Thermal Anomalous Structure within Lower Mantle and Its Geodynamic Implications

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Cold Thermal Anomalous Structure within Lower Mantle and Its Geodynamic Implications

The lateral temperature anomalous structure of the lower mantle is reconstructed from the seismic tomographical model and high temperature and high pressure laboratory results. A significant correlation between the distribution of the cold anomaly and the location of past subduction belts shows that the shallower anomaly corresponds to the younger subduction sites, while the deeper anomaly to the older ones. This correlation also suggests that the cold anomaly may have come from the subduction slabs and the scale of mantle convection may have been completed. The coldest and largest anomaly is concentrated near the core mantle boundary (CMB). Few cold anomalies float in the shallower and middle parts of the lower mantle, suggesting that the downward migration of the subduction slabs, discontinuous and step like, may be divided into the following three stages: subduction, stagnation at the 670 km discontinuity due to the phase transition, and disintegration when the size exceeds the critical point.