[Geodynamics] Call for abstracts; session S17 at IUGG

[Bernhard Steinberger]

Dear Colleagues,

Please consider submitting an abstract to our session S17 at the 27th 
IUGG General Assembly in Montreal, Canada, July 8-19, with submission 
deadline on February 18th. Solicited presentations will be given by 
Karin Sigloch (University of Oxford) and Fred Richards (Harvard University).

Best regards,

Bernhard Steinberger and Trond Torsvik

LARGE LOW SHEAR VELOCITY PROVINCES AND LOWER MANTLE STRUCTURE

The Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) of the lowermost mantle 
are tomographically-observed regions beneath Africa and the Pacific that 
exhibit lower-than-average shear-wave velocities. Additional seismic 
studies infer that they have well-defined boundaries and may be 
compositionally-distinct from the surrounding mantle.

Furthermore, they are spatially correlated with present day hotspots and 
potentially the original locations of many large igneous provinces. 
Understanding the cause of and dynamics associated with LLSVPs is 
critical toward understanding Earth structure, large-scale mantle 
convection, thermal and chemical evolution, and the source of mantle 
plumes. This symposium aims to broadly include research from multiple 
fields (observational, experimental, and theoretical) to better 
understand the properties and dynamics of LLSVPs and lower mantle 
structure in general.