Core and mantle thermal evolution constraints on the onset of plate tectonics and a long-lived geodynamo
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| author | Gibet, Valentin Bonnet Tosi, Nicola |
| author_facet | Gibet, Valentin Bonnet Tosi, Nicola |
| contents | Earth's long-lived geodynamo is difficult to reconcile with recent high estimates of the core thermal conductivity, a problem known as the new core paradox. At the same time, the long-term thermal evolution of the mantle remains uncertain, largely due to the poorly constrained onset of modern-style plate tectonics, which marks the transition to efficient cooling of the interior through mobile-lid convection. Because core cooling -- and thus magnetic field generation -- depends on the efficiency with which the mantle extracts heat from the core, these two problems are closely linked. Here, we investigate the coupled thermal evolution of mantle and core using a 1D model that incorporates a parametrized transition transition from stagnant- to mobile-lid convection, defined by its onset time and with a prescribed duration. This framework allows us to assess how different tectonic histories influence Earth's thermal and magnetic evolution. We perform a Bayesian inversion using constraints from the palaeomagnetic record, mantle cooling history, and present-day thermal state. Our results favour a transition from stagnant- to mobile-lid convection during the Archean, which promotes core cooling and enables a geodynamo throughout Earth's history, even for core thermal conductivities in excess of 100 W/m/K. A delayed onset of mobile-lid convection provides thus a viable solution to the new core paradox. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_25232 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Core and mantle thermal evolution constraints on the onset of plate tectonics and a long-lived geodynamo Gibet, Valentin Bonnet Tosi, Nicola Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Geophysics Earth's long-lived geodynamo is difficult to reconcile with recent high estimates of the core thermal conductivity, a problem known as the new core paradox. At the same time, the long-term thermal evolution of the mantle remains uncertain, largely due to the poorly constrained onset of modern-style plate tectonics, which marks the transition to efficient cooling of the interior through mobile-lid convection. Because core cooling -- and thus magnetic field generation -- depends on the efficiency with which the mantle extracts heat from the core, these two problems are closely linked. Here, we investigate the coupled thermal evolution of mantle and core using a 1D model that incorporates a parametrized transition transition from stagnant- to mobile-lid convection, defined by its onset time and with a prescribed duration. This framework allows us to assess how different tectonic histories influence Earth's thermal and magnetic evolution. We perform a Bayesian inversion using constraints from the palaeomagnetic record, mantle cooling history, and present-day thermal state. Our results favour a transition from stagnant- to mobile-lid convection during the Archean, which promotes core cooling and enables a geodynamo throughout Earth's history, even for core thermal conductivities in excess of 100 W/m/K. A delayed onset of mobile-lid convection provides thus a viable solution to the new core paradox. |
| title | Core and mantle thermal evolution constraints on the onset of plate tectonics and a long-lived geodynamo |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Geophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.25232 |