Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026

Analyzing Melts and Fluids from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations with the UMD Package
Published on: September 17, 2021
The dynamics of plate tectonics and mantle flow: from local to global scales
Georg Stadler1, Michael Gurnis, Carsten Burstedde
1Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Abstract:
Plate tectonics is regulated by driving and resisting forces concentrated at plate boundaries, but observationally constrained high-resolution models of global mantle flow remain a computational challenge. We capitalized on advances in adaptive mesh refinement algorithms on parallel computers to simulate global mantle flow by incorporating plate motions, with individual plate margins resolved down to a scale of 1 kilometer. Back-arc extension and slab rollback are emergent consequences of slab descent in the upper mantle. Cold thermal anomalies within the lower mantle couple into oceanic plates through narrow high-viscosity slabs, altering the velocity of oceanic plates. Viscous dissipation within the bending lithosphere at trenches amounts to approximately 5 to 20% of the total dissipation through the entire lithosphere and mantle.
Related Concept Videos
Laminar and Turbulent Flow
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
Introduction to Types of Flows
Two-dimensional flow involves changes in both length and height, as seen in air...
Eulerian and Lagrangian Flow Descriptions
The Eulerian method focuses on fixed points in space where fluid properties, such as velocity, pressure, and temperature, are observed as the fluid moves between these...
Couette Flow
Turbulent Flow

