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SUMMARY:Understanding the Lithosphere - Sergei Lebedev\, University of Cam
 bridge
DTSTART:20221115T120000Z
DTEND:20221115T130000Z
UID:TALK176969@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Oscar Branson
DESCRIPTION:The lithosphere is the cold\, mechanically strong outer layer 
 of the Earth\, making up its tectonic plates. It controls surface topograp
 hy\, natural hazards and the development of natural resources. Yet\, its c
 omposition\, evolution and many of the mechanisms of how it controls what 
 happens at the surface remain unclear. Britain and Ireland offer intriguin
 g new evidence on the processes. Recent seismic tomography shows pronounce
 d\, previously unknown variations in the lithospheric thickness across the
  islands. These variations show a remarkable match to the distribution of 
 seismicity and offer a solution to a long-standing puzzle: why Ireland is 
 nearly aseismic and Britain has substantial seismicity\, although mostly i
 n its western part. Tomography shows that Ireland has a thick\, cold and\,
  by inference\, mechanically strong lithosphere—and features few earthqu
 akes. Western Britain\, by contrast\, has thin\, warm and mechanically wea
 k lithosphere\, and it hosts numerous low to moderate magnitude events. Li
 thospheric thinning in the circum-Irish Sea area also shows a remarkable m
 atch with the distribution of the Paleogene uplift and magmatism\, which o
 ccurred in the course of the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) emplac
 ement. Across NAIP and in other Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs)\, thin-lith
 osphere channels—pre-existing and evolving in the course of the LIP empl
 acement—appear to determine the enigmatic distributions of the volcanism
 \, often scattered over thousands of kilometers. The composition and evolu
 tion of the lithosphere are in question\, in particular\, beneath cratons\
 , the Archean cores of continents whose very definition has been debated. 
 Computational-petrology modeling and inversion can integrate quantitativel
 y different geophysical and geological measurements and facilitate the mul
 ti-disciplinary research effort that is required.
LOCATION:Department of Earth Sciences\, Tilley Lecture Theatre
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