This session will consider broadly processes of mantle dynamics and lithospheric tectonics, involving studies that explore the structure and evolution of these regions and the links between them. The mantle is the thermal engine of the planet, transporting heat from the deep interior to the surface through convection and conduction in high-pressure mineral/rock environments. Resolving the nature of mantle dynamics—from deep mantle circulation to upper mantle processes–is key to understanding Earth’s plate tectonics. The lithosphere is tectonically active, and many fundamental questions remain regarding its evolution in plate boundary and even plate interior regions, and from the upper crust to the lowermost lithosphere. The dynamics and the nature of these regions are studied with a variety of observational, experimental, and numerical tools, in a host of tectonic settings and on a variety of length and time-scales. In this cross-disciplinary session, we welcome contributions from fields of research that investigate these mantle and lithosphere dynamics, and the tectonic evolution of the planetary surface.

4:00pm - 4:15pm    Geodynamic Effects of the Aegean-Cyprus slab tear on Western Anatolia and the Aegean    
Presenter(s): Xiaowen Liu

4:15pm - 4:30pm    Coupled geodynamic and landscape evolution modeling of inherited structures during continental rifting
Presenter(s): Rob Moucha

4:30pm - 4:45pm    Amphibious shear-wave velocity model of New Zealand’s upper mantle from a teleseismic two-station surface-wave analysis
Presenter(s): Taylor Tracey

4:45pm - 5:00pm    The origin of the central Andean orogeny: Insights from 2D numerical models
Presenter(s): Zhihong Pan

5:00pm - 5:15pm    Structural Evolution of the Black Sea Basin Using Sectioned Computational Models
Presenter(s): Armagan Kaykun

5:15pm - 5:30pm    Pore-scale mushy layer modelling
Presenter(s): Sam Butler