Plate tectonics and convection in the Earth's mantle: toward a numerical simulation

Numerical models of mantle convection are starting to reproduce many of the essential features of continental drift and plate tectonics. The authors show how such methods can integrate a wide variety of geophysical and geological observations. The goal is to combine the Stokes and energy equations with a realistic rheology, thereby letting us understand the complex dynamic coupling that occurs in the mantle and that gives rise to plate tectonics and other surface features. This approach holds great promise because it makes a tremendous amount of data relevant to understanding Earth's dynamics. The challenge is that the computational models must be inherently realistic, particularly when predicting observed geography or plate history, so that the models can be connected with observations. The authors view this as one of the most exciting future directions of computational geodynamics.