A boundary layer is a thin region (usually situated near a boundary) in a fluid or deformable body that has unusual structural properties. In self‐gravitating bodies such as Earth, these regions are characterized by large gradients of temperature or composition or both. The lithosphere is a well‐known example of a boundary layer; it is characterized by both a large gradient of temperature and by long‐lived chemical heterogeneities (including the continents). The D″ layer near the base of Earth's mantle is believed to have properties complementary to those of the lithosphere, including a large temperature gradient and chemical variations. The focus of this article is on the causes and consequences of its thermal structure; its compositional structure is the subject of a separate entry (see D″, composition ).
D″ as a thermal boundary layer
Originally the D″ layer was identified as a distinct region immediately above the Core‐mantle boundary (CMB) by its seismic properties (see ...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Loper, D.E., and Lay, T., 1995. The core‐mantle boundary region. Journal of Geophysical Research, 100: 6397–6420.
Stacey, F.D., and Loper, D.E., 1983. The thermal‐boundary‐layer interpretation of D″ and its role as a plume source. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 33: 45–55.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer-Verlag
About this entry
Cite this entry
Loper, D. (2007). D″ as a Boundary Layer. In: Gubbins, D., Herrero-Bervera, E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4423-6_60
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4423-6_60
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-3992-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4423-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences