September 13, 2017 - Jessica M Warren

Smaller is stronger for olivine

Research by Katie Kumamoto, Jessica Warren, and colleagues on the strength of olivine has been published in Science Advances. Our research suggests that tectonic plates are weaker than previously thought due to a size effect in olivine, the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s mantle. The article is summarized by Karen Roberts in this UDaily article. The full article can be read here.

Kumamoto, K. M., C. A. Thom, D. Wallis, L. N. Hansen, D. E. J. Armstrong, J. M. Warren, D. L. Goldsby, and A. J. Wilkinson (2017), Size effects resolve discrepancies in 40 years of work on low-temperature plasticity in olivine, Science Advances, 3, 1-7.

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