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Thermal core– mantle interactions

Abstract

Maps of the magnetic field at the core–mantle boundary for 1715–1980 reveal static features in the field and an absence of westward drift from much of the core–mantle boundary. The static features suggest that flow in the core is coupled to the mantle. We examine different coupling mechanisms and predict lateral inhomogeneity at the core–mantle boundary. Comparison with models of the lower mantle and core–mantle boundary derived seismically and from the geoid is encouraging, though their resolution is currently inadequate for a full comparison to be made with the much better-resolved magnetic field.

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Bloxham, J., Gubbins, D. Thermal core– mantle interactions. Nature 325, 511–513 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/325511a0

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