Water in the mantle

Sep 25, 2023·
Dr. Ben Mather
Dr. Ben Mather
· 0 min read
Abstract
Subducting slabs transport water deep into the mantle, where it is stored within minerals such as ringwoodite and wadsleyite in the mantle transition zone. We predict the influx of water from cold, hydrated slabs by coupling plate tectonic reconstructions with thermodynamic models, and validate these predictions against seismic tomography observations. The resulting maps of mantle water reservoirs may help explain the distribution of enigmatic intraplate volcanism far from plate boundaries.
Date
Sep 25, 2023 9:00 AM — 10:00 AM
Location

Sydney, Australia

events
Subduction Mantle Dynamics Plate Reconstructions
Dr. Ben Mather
Authors
Dr. Ben Mather
ARC Industry Research Fellow

I am an ARC Industry Research Fellow in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at The University of Melbourne. I am an expert in fusing Earth evolution models with data to understand how groundwater moves critical minerals through the landscape. Related research interests include the cycling of volatiles within the Earth, probabilistic thermal models of the lithosphere to unravel past tectonic and climatic events, and understanding the how enigmatic volcanoes form.

I am a vocal advocate for the integral role of geoscience in responding to challenges we face in transitioning to the carbon-neutral economy. As an expert in my field, I have been interviewed in national and international print media, TV, and radio on a wide variety of subjects including earthquakes, volcanoes, groundwater, and critical minerals.