Dynamic topography induced by global mantle flow
The picture below shows an example of computed dynamic topography due to mantle flow caused by density heterogeneities inferred from seismic tomography (left). It is compared to residual topography computed by substracting contributions due to crustal thickness variations and ocean floor age variations from actual topography (right). By backward advecting mantle density heterogeneities we compute dynamic topography and the mantle density anomalies and flow that cause it also in the geologic past - follow this link for pictures and movies. This project is done with Dietmar Müller and collaborators, especially Christian Heine.
More recently, Susanne Buiter, Seregei Medvedev, Joya Tetreault and myself have investigated in more detail whether the mantle could have caused subsidence in the Congo Basin.

• Xie, X., D. Müller, S. Li, Z. Gong and B. Steinberger (2006). Origin of anomalous subsidence along the northern South China Sea Margin and its relationship to dynamic topography, Mar. Petrol. Geol., 23, 745-765, doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2006.03.004 [pdf].
• Steinberger, B. (2007). Effect of latent heat release at phase boundaries on flow in the Earth's mantle, phase boundary topography and dynamic topography at the Earth's surface, Phys. Earth Planet. Inter., 164, 2-20, doi:10.1016/j.pepi.2007.04.021 [pdf]
• Müller, R. D., M. Sdrolias, C. Gaina, B. Steinberger and C. Heine (2008). Long-term sea-level fluctuations driven by ocean basin dynamics, Science, 319, 1357-1362, doi:10.1126/science.1151540 [pdf]
• Heine, C., R. D. Müller, B. Steinberger and T. H. Torsvik (2008). Subsidence in intracontinental basins, due to dynamic topography, Phys. Earth Planet. Inter., 171, 252-264, doi:10.1016/j.pepi.2008.05.008 [pdf]
• Heine, C., R. D. Müller, B. Steinberger and L. DiCaprio (2010) Integrating deep Earth dynamics in paleogeographic reconstructions of Australia, Tectonophysics, 483, 135-150, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2009.08.028 [pdf]
• Buiter, S. J. H., B. Steinberger, S. Medvedev and J. L. Tetreault (2012), Could the mantle have caused subsidence of the Congo Basin? Tectonophysics, 514-517, 62-80, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2011.09.024 [pdf]

Power Point Presentation: Dynamic topography, phase boundary topography and latent heat release

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