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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 4, 2025

Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling

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Published on: August 5, 2016

Seismic evidence for partial melt below tectonic plates.

Eric Debayle¹, Thomas Bodin², Stéphanie Durand²

¹Univ Lyon, Univ Lyon 1, ENSL, CNRS, LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne, France. Eric.Debayle@ens-lyon.fr.

|October 22, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Partial melt exists within the upper mantle's seismic low-velocity zone (LVZ), feeding the asthenosphere. This melt, less than 0.30%, facilitates tectonic plate motion and crystal alignment.

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Area of Science:

Geophysics
Mantle Dynamics
Seismology

Background:

The seismic low-velocity zone (LVZ) in the upper mantle is crucial for plate tectonics but its origin is debated.
Existing theories propose partial melt, solid-state mechanisms, or volatile content as causes for low seismic velocities.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the origin of the seismic low-velocity zone (LVZ) using shear attenuation and velocity models.
To determine the presence and distribution of partial melt within the LVZ.

Main Methods:

Interpretation of global three-dimensional shear attenuation models.
Interpretation of global three-dimensional seismic velocity models.

Main Results:

Evidence of partial melt within the oceanic LVZ, down to 150-200 km beneath mid-ocean ridges, hotspots, and back-arc regions.
Less than 0.30% of melt is trapped in the oceanic LVZ; melt is largely absent under continents.
Melt concentration increases with plate velocity, particularly between 3-5 cm/year.

Conclusions:

Partial melt is a significant component of the oceanic upper mantle LVZ.
Melt reduces asthenospheric viscosity, facilitating plate motion and large-scale mantle crystal alignment.
Findings support the role of melt in decoupling tectonic plates from the mantle.