Continents as a chemical boundary layer

Abstract

Tectospheric structure can be described in terms of three basic types of surficial boundary layers: chemical (c.b.l.), mechanical (m.b.l.) and thermal (t.b.l.). Beneath old ocean basins the thickness of the c.b.l. ( ca . 40 km) is less than that of either the m.b.l. ( ca . 100 km) or the t.b.l. ( ca . 150 km), but the hypothesis that a similar structure underlies the old continental cratons is difficult to reconcile with seismic observations. We therefore examine an alternate model which postulates a much thicker c.b.l. beneath the cratons whose mantle component consists of a low-density peridotite depleted in its basaltic constituents. On the basis of seismological and petrological data it is inferred that this augmented c.b.l. extends below the m.b.l. to depths exceeding 150 km and acts to stabilize a thick ( > 200 km) t.b.l. against convective disruption. Because of its refractory nature the sub-m.b.l. portion of the c.b.l. constitutes a stable geochemical reservoir which has evidently been impregnated by large-ion lithophile elements fluxing from the deep mantle or from descending slabs. Consequently, its heat production is high ( ca . 0.1 μW/m 3 ) and it contributes significantly to the surface heat flux. The evolutionary history and dynamics of the continental c.b.l. are not well understood, especially the role of double-diffusive instabilities, but the fusion of the continental masses into ‘supercontinents’ and the orogenic compression that this entails are thought to be important processes in c.b.l. formation.