Global gravity and mantle convection

Most of the major features in the earth's gravitational field show a fairly systematic correlation with plate tectonic or Postglacial features. This correlation varies in quality from spotty for oceanic rises to consistently close for trench and island arcs. The most important exceptions to this correlation are two negative features: the half of Antarctica toward the Pacific and the adjacent ocean; and central Asia north of the major mountain masses. Theoretically, it cannot be ruled out that flow in the deeper mantle of no direct relation to the lithosphere may account for some of the major gravitational features. However, the empirical correlations with other surface phenomena encourage explanation of gravitational features as the consequence of asthenospheric flow and its interaction with the lithosphere, particularly in the intermediate size range of 1200-3500 km.