The boundary between the core and the mantle is of huge importance for the dynamics of the Earth's interior and the seat of many interesting phenomena: (see Core‐mantle boundary and Core‐mantle coupling, thermal ). From the core point of view, this is the surface across which all heat produced must escape. The value of the integrated heat flow across the core‐mantle boundary (CMB) is then of primary importance for the thermal evolution of the core and it controls the amplitude of the energy sources available to drive the geodynamo (see Geodynamo, energy sources ).
All the energy that flows out of the core must be transported upward across the mantle. The mantle is primarily solid (except in the very localized regions of partial melting) but it can creep and is subject to convective movements on time scales of some tens of millions of years (Myr), the surface expression of these motions being plate tectonics. On the other hand, the outer core is liquid, with a viscosity close to that of...
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Labrosse, S. (2007). Core‐mantle Boundary, Heat flow across. In: Gubbins, D., Herrero-Bervera, E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4423-6_51
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