4-D data assimilation for the last billion years &#8211; insight into the long-term influence of mantle global circulation on the evolution of the plate-mantle system &#160;
Authors: Carluccio Roberta , Zahirovic Sabin , Januszczak Nicole , Anthony Michele , Leonard Jonathon , Bower Daniel James 
Published: February 2023

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;The Earth&amp;#8217;s mantle circulation drives &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt;tectonic cycles over geological time scales, and their changing patterns profoundly influence the evolution of life on our planet. The motion and deformation of tectonic plates are driven by&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;the subduction of the oceanic lithosphere into the Earth&#039;s interior at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt;subduction zones over time. As such, subduction zones represent a vital tectonic setting on Earth and are the prime sites for geological hazards including major earthquakes and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;tsunami&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt;s disasters&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;, and for hosting a large percentage of the Earth&amp;#8217;s &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt;mineral resources. To date, mantle and lithosphere dynamic interactions and their feedback mechanisms on surface deformation remain poorly understood, hampering the ability to interpret Earth&amp;#8217;s recent and ancient geological history. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-ccp-props=&quot;{&quot;&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;Here, we present an integrated lithosphere assimilation framework - which combines &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt;Merdith et al., (2019) and Zahirovic et al., (2022) plate reconstructions with the mantle frame approach of Muller et al., (2022) -&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt; using a hybrid kinema&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt;tic and dynamic mantle convection technique to reproduce the motion and evolution of the lithosphere and mantle from 1 Ga to the present day. The underlying concept of our 4-D modelling approach is that geophysical data, mostly from plate tectonic reconstructions, are applied as a time-dependent boundary condition to a CitcomS model of mantle convection. This data assimilation ensures that the convection model follows the geological constraints captured in the plate reconstructions and, as such, the models are a hybrid between dynamic and kinematic modelling techniques.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-ccp-props=&quot;{&quot;&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;Our integrated approach provides &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt;novel insights into the influence of the secular mantle circulation on mantle-lithosphere dynamic interactions, evolution and behaviour globally, and with a particular focus on&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt; subducti&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;auto&quot;&gt;on &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;zones that host a large percentage of the Earth&amp;#8217;s metal resources.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-ccp-props=&quot;{&quot;&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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