Seminar

Plate tectonics is known as one of the fundamental theoretical breakthroughs in natural sciences in the 20th century. In the 60 years since its advent, many papers have been published to suggest when plate tectonics should begin, but due to the unclear interpretation of relevant geological observation data and the different weightings of different types of data, researchers have proposed the time of the plate tectonics onset covering most of the Earth's history (Precambrian). In addition, the thermal state of the Earth, the trigger for global plate tectonics, and differences in the crust-mantle interaction in the early and late Earth are also controversial. This project is to develop numerical models to study the genesis of different planetary tectonics under reasonable physical constraints. The model's upper lid strength, mantle viscosity structure, and melting are tested and analyzed to further explore the origin of plate tectonics and the evolutionary process of Earth-like planets.

Additional information: Mr. Tianyang LYU, tylyu@connect.hku.hk