Mixing and Entrainment in Mantle Plumes: A 3D Experimental Investigation

Significant differences exist between isotopic signatures of typical mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and those associated with many ocean islands, with ocean island basalts (OIB) generally exhibiting more variability in trace element concentrations and a bias towards enrichment in more primitive isotopes as well in some cases. Such observations coupled with other geophysical evidence have been used to suggest that OIB's are surface manifestations of upwellings originating in the deep interior near the core-mantle boundary that interact with distinct, heterogeneous reservoirs as material is transported from the Earth's interior to the surface. Although many have studied the chemistry and dynamics of these mantle plumes, fundamental questions remain. Such questions can be grouped into two general issues: a) Plume structure and dynamical interaction with the surrounding mantle, b) The degree of entrainment and mixing in mantle plumes of chemically distinct material from the deep mantle. We address these fundamental questions by performing detailed fluid dynamical experiments to determine the structure, temperature, velocity, and degree of entrainment in thermal plumes. Heat is used as the driving convective mechanism to form a single thermal plume. The experiments are conducted in a Plexiglas tank (inner dimensions of 26.5×26.5×26.5 cm). A small heater of 2.0 cm diameter and centered in the tank bottom is connected to programmable power supply. By varying voltage settings we can simulate varying heat fluxes in the deep mantle. Our experiments utilize Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (SPIV) and Thermochromic Liquid Crystals (TLC's) to reconstruct the 3D flow and temperature fields within the tank. Penetration height and plume head size are related to the varying buoyancy flux. In addition, velocity and vorticity fields determined using SPIV provide insight into the plume structure and the nature of the entrainment process.