' Rayleigh–Taylor instability '
Untitled Note
Rayleigh–Taylor instability
Friday, January 31, 2014
12:16 PM
RT instability is a phenomenon that occurs between fluids of different densities when one accelerates into the other. Within the earth, a Rayleigh-Taylor instability can occur when an overlying fluid becomes more dense than the fluid beneath it, accelerating the upper fluid into the lower one until the organization of densities within the earth is corrected In example, old and dense sub ducting lithosphere being more dense than the asthenosphere it is sub ducting into, the lowermost portions of oceanic lithosphere tend to be the most dense portion of a slab as they are the oldest and the coldest due to their distance from its source relative to younger oceanic crust on the same slab. The result is the end of the sub ducting slab is more dense than the surrounding asthenosphere and begins to accelerate downward into the asthenosphere which results in delimitation of the end of the oceanic lithosphere, resulting in steeper dip at the end of the slab as it accelerates more downward. Delamination in this fashion can result in a brittle of ductile response. The former being that the more dense portion actually breaks off from the rest of the slab.
Created with Microsoft OneNote 2016.
Created: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-01-31