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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Evolution of Staircase Structures in Diffusive Convection
Published on: September 5, 2018
Small-scale mantle convection produces stratigraphic sequences in sedimentary basins
K D Petersen1, S B Nielsen, O R Clausen
1Department of Earth Science, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. kenni@geo.au.dk
Abstract:
Cyclic sedimentary deposits link stratigraphic sequences that are now geographically distant but were once part of the same depositional environment. Some of these sequences occur at periods of 2 to 20 million years, and eustatic sea-level variations or regional tectonic events are likely causes of their formation. Using numerical modeling, we demonstrate that small-scale mantle convection can also cause the development of stratigraphic sequences through recurrent local and regional vertical surface movements. Small-scale convection-driven stratigraphic sequences occur at periods of 2 to 20 million years and correlate only at distances up to a few hundred kilometers. These results suggest that previous sequence stratigraphic analyses may contain erroneous conclusions regarding eustatic sea-level variations.
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