Dynamical Geochemistry: Mantle dynamics and its role in the formation of geochemical heterogeneity

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in chemical geodynamics, emphasizing mantle convection, crust recycling, and noble gas systematics, highlighting how these developments enhance our understanding of Earth's geochemical evolution.

Contribution

It provides an updated synthesis of how mantle dynamics influence geochemical heterogeneity, integrating new geophysical, geochemical, and computational insights.

Findings

Improved geophysical imaging techniques have refined mantle convection models.

Advances in isotope analysis have enhanced understanding of crust recycling.

Computational power has enabled more accurate geodynamical simulations.

Abstract

Chemical geodynamics is a term coined nearly forty years ago to highlight the important link between Earth's geochemical evolution and plate tectonics & mantle convection. Significant progress in our understanding of this connection has taken place since then through advances in the analytical precision of geochemical measurements, dramatically improved geophysical imaging techniques, application of novel isotope systems, and great advances in computational power. Thee latter especially has improved geodynamical models and data interpretation techniques. We provide a review of these advances and their impact on chemical geodynamics, or perhaps, dynamical geochemistry. To focus this review we will address primarily the role of whole mantle convection and oceanic crust formation and recycling together with an update on our understanding of noble gas systematics.