Oxygen thermobarometry measurements on spinel peridotite rocks indicate that the oxygen
fugacity at the top of the upper mantle falls within±2 log units of the fayalite-magnetite-quartz …

The concentration and distribution of water in the Earth has influenced its evolution
throughout its history. Even at the trace levels contained in the planet's deep interior (mantle …

The asthenosphere plays a fundamental role in present-day plate tectonics as its low
viscosity controls how convection in the mantle below it is expressed at the Earth's surface …

How cratons—extremely stable continental areas of the Earth's crust—formed and remained
largely unchanged for more than 2,500 million years is much debated. Recent studies of …

The mobility of the lithosphere over a weaker asthenosphere constitutes the essential
element of plate tectonics, and thus the understanding of the processes at the lithosphere …

The minerals constituting the Earth's upper mantle are nominally anhydrous silicates
(NAMs). However they do contain hydrogen as a trace element, decorating point defects in …

Seismological models of upper-mantle structure are providing new constraints on the
physical and chemical properties that differentiate the lithosphere from the asthenosphere. A …

We present a new model to explain one of the biggest tectonic problems of Earth Sciences
today, namely, how and why did the Archean sub-continental lithospheric mantle under the …

Plate tectonic theory was developed 50 years ago and underpins most of our understanding
of Earth's evolution. The theory explains observations of magnetic lineations on the seafloor …

The lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) is a first-order structural discontinuity that
accommodates differential motion between tectonic plates and the underlying mantle …