Dear list members,
The scientific programme for the forth comming (1-2 Sep, 2011) special conference on Dynamic Topography jointly sponsored by the Geological Society, Royal Astronomical Society and British Geophysical Association has now been finalised and is attached here for interest. Additional information on the conference venue etc is also attached.
The final programme includes an internationally and scientifically diverse mix of presentations and promises an exciting and stimulating two days. If you are considering attending the meeting and have not already registered please look over the programme and if you do decide to come to the meeting please register for the meeting now. This can be done online (http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/dynamictop) or by contacting Georgina Worrall directly at the Geological Society ([log in to unmask] Tel. 0207 434 9944).
Kind regards,
Roderick Brown
Mike Kendall
Greg Houseman
Nicky White
Patience Cowie
Stewart Fishwick
Dynamic topography: a key surface record of deep Earth processes
Why dynamic topography? The large scale morphology of the Earth’s surface is primarily controlled by processes occurring within the deep Earth and this is clearly reflected by the location of mid-ocean ridges and subduction zones and their close association with up welling and down welling flow within the mantle. With the recent advances in imaging the seismic structure within the deep Earth it is clear that many other regions of elevated and depressed regions of the surface are linked to seismically slow and fast mantle anomalies, respectively. This suggests strongly that flow within the mantle affects the surface topography at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. However, understanding this phenomenon in detail is difficult because there remain many challenges to interpreting seismic models in terms of buoyancy sources and the nature of the viscous coupling with the lithosphere, and also to documenting and measuring regional uplift or subsidence of the surface over geological time scales. Key related questions/challenges include; Whole or layered mantle convection? Viscosity, density and thermal structure within the mantle? Modelling surface processes at appropriate spatial and temporal scales? Coupled surface and geodynamic models? Quantifying the timing, magnitude and rate of surface displacement?
The scientific programme includes presentations from a wide range of geoscientists including; seismologists interested in deciphering the physical properties and behaviour of the mantle, mineral physicists and geochemists interested in the composition, mineralogy and rheology of the deep mantle, geophysicists interested mass distribution and the gravity field, geodynamics and tectonics specialists interested in understanding large sedimentary basin systems, geomorphologists. The two day conference aims to encourage discussion and critical assessment of what we currently know, and what we need to know to progress our understanding of how the deep Earth interacts with the surface.
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