Homework 3 – Geodynamics

Nataly Pulido Fernández - 201216338

Julio Cesar Rojas Pérez – 201225248
Carolina Quintana García - 201225108

1. Turcotte and Schcubert Problem 6.4

Consider the steady, unidirectional flow of a viscous fluid down the upper face of an inclined plane.
Assume that the flow occurs in a layer of constant thickness h, as shown in Figure 1. Show that the
velocity profile is given by
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 2
𝑢= (ℎ − 𝑦 2 )
2𝜇
where y is the coordinate measured perpendicular to the inclined plane (y = h is the surface of the
plane), α is the inclination of the plane to the horizontal, and g is the acceleration of gravity. First
show that
𝑑𝜏
= −𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼
𝑑𝑦
and then apply the no-slip condition at y = h and the free-surface condition, τ = 0, at y = 0. What is
the mean velocity in the layer? What is the thickness of a layer whose rate of flow down the incline
(per unit width in the direction perpendicular to the plane in Figure 1) is Q?

Figure 1. Unidirectional flow of a constant thickness layer of viscous fluid down an inclined plane.

For a Newtonian fluid with constant viscosity μ the shear stress at any location in the channel is
given by
𝑑𝑢
𝜏=𝜇
𝑑𝑦
The kinematic viscosity 𝑣 of a fluid
𝜇
𝑣=
𝜌
Equation of motion can be written
𝑑𝜏 𝑑𝑝
=
𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑥
An equation for the velocity can be obtained by substituting the expression for τ from the equation
of the shear stress for a Newtonian fluid into the equation of motion. We obtain

𝑑2 𝑢 𝑑𝑝
𝜇 =
𝑑𝑦 2 𝑑𝑥
𝑑
In this case we know that is a steady flow and no property varies in the x direction, so 𝑑𝑥 = 0

𝑑2 𝑢
𝜇 + 𝜌𝑔𝑥 = 0
𝑑𝑦 2
𝑑𝑝
− + 𝜌𝑔𝑦 = 0
𝑑𝑦
Given that 𝑢 is only a function of 𝑦 the equation that depends of 𝑥 can be written as

𝑑2 𝑢
𝜇 = − 𝜌𝑔𝑥
𝑑𝑦 2
𝑑2 𝑢 𝜌𝑔𝑥
= −
𝑑𝑦 2 𝜇
𝑑2 𝑢 𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼
2
=−
𝑑𝑦 𝜇
Integration of this equation twice gives

𝑦 2 𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼
𝑢=− + 𝑐1 𝑦 + 𝑐2
2 𝜇
To evaluate the constants, we must satisfy the boundary conditions that u=0 at y=h and u=u0 at
y=0. These boundary conditions are known as no-slip boundary conditions. A viscous fluid in contact
with a solid boundary must have the same velocity as the boundary.
𝑑𝑢
= 0; 𝑦 = ℎ
𝑑𝑦
When these boundary conditions are satisfied, the equation becomes
𝝆𝒈 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜶 𝟐
𝒖= (𝒉 − 𝒚𝟐 )
𝟐𝝁
Taking into account above, the shear stress would be
𝑑𝑢
𝜏=𝜇
𝑑𝑦
𝑑𝑢 𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 2
𝜏=𝜇 = (ℎ − 𝑦 2 )
𝑑𝑦 2𝜇
𝑑𝑢 𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 2
𝜏= = (ℎ − 𝑦 2 )
𝑑𝑦 2
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼
𝜏= (−2𝑦)
2
𝜏 = −𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 (𝑦)
we derive
𝒅𝝉
= −𝝆𝒈 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜶
𝒅𝒚
What is the mean velocity in the layer?

Is possible to do this part in diverse ways. In this case, we will use the volumetric flow rate:
ℎ ℎ
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 2
𝑄 = ∫ 𝑢𝑑𝑦 = ∫ (ℎ − 𝑦 2 )𝑑𝑦
0 0 2𝜇

𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 ℎ 2
𝑄= ∫ (ℎ − 𝑦 2 )𝑑𝑦
2𝜇 0
ℎ ℎ
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼
𝑄= (∫ ℎ2 𝑑𝑦 + ∫ 𝑦 2 𝑑𝑦)
2𝜇 0 0
ℎ
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 𝑦3
𝑄= (⌈ℎ2 𝑦⌉ℎ0 + ⌈ ⌉ )
2𝜇 3 0

𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 3 ℎ3
𝑄= (ℎ − )
2𝜇 3
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 3 1 𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 3 2
𝑄= ℎ (1 − ) = ℎ ( )
2𝜇 3 2𝜇 3
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 3
𝑄= ℎ
3𝜇
Then, we use the following equation to calculate the mean velocity in the layer
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 3
𝑄 3𝜇 ℎ
𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 = =
ℎ ℎ
 𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 ℎ3
𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 =
3𝜇ℎ
𝝆𝒈 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜶 𝒉𝟐
𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 =
𝟑𝝁

What is the thickness of a layer whose rate of flow down the incline is Q?

Considering the equation of the volumetric flow rate, we solve the equation to determinate the
thickness of a layer
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼 3
𝑄= ℎ
3𝜇
3𝑄𝜇
ℎ3 =
𝜌𝑔 sin 𝛼

𝟑 𝟑𝑸𝝁
𝒉= √
𝝆𝒈 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜶

2. Turcotte and Schubert problem 6.11

Show that the constant of integration 𝐴 in the above postglacial rebound solution is given by
𝜆 2 𝜌𝑔𝑤𝑚0 −𝑡
𝐴 = −( ) 𝑒 𝜏𝑟
2𝜋 2𝜇
Taking into account the equation of the surface displacement 𝑤 and evaluating the result at
𝑦 = 0 and 𝑥 = 0 (because we are in the surface) we have,
−2𝜇𝐴 2𝜋 2 2𝜋𝑥
𝑤𝑦=0 = ( ) cos
𝜌𝑔 𝜆 𝜆
2
−2𝜇𝐴 2𝜋
𝑤𝑦=0; 𝑥=0 = ( ) (1)
𝜌𝑔 𝜆
Considering that the surface displacement decreases exponentially with time as fluid flows
from regions of elevated topography to regions of depressed topography, we have
−𝑡
𝑤 = 𝑤𝑚 𝑒 𝜏𝑟
Where 𝜏𝑟 , the characteristic time for the exponential relaxation of the initial displacement, is
given by
4𝜋𝜇 4𝜋𝑣
𝜏𝑟 = =
𝜌𝑔𝜆 𝑔𝜆
The equations are equaled (𝑤𝑦=0; 𝑥=0 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤)
−2𝜇𝐴 2𝜋 2 −𝑡
( ) = 𝑤𝑚 𝑒 𝜏𝑟
𝜌𝑔 𝜆
Solving for 𝐴
−𝑡
𝑤𝑚 𝑒 𝜏𝑟 𝜌𝑔
𝐴=−
2𝜋 2
( ) (2𝜇)
𝜆
 Finally
𝝀 𝟐 𝝆𝒈𝒘𝒎𝟎 −𝒕
𝑨 = −( ) 𝒆 𝝉𝒓
𝟐𝝅 𝟐𝝁

3. Estimate the Rayleigh number for the Earth for the case of convection which extends over the
entire mantle. Using this number estimate how high the heat flow from the Earth is relative to
that which would exist in a purely conductive case.

The competition between forcing by thermal buoyancy, and damping by viscosity and thermal
diffusion, is characterized in dimensionless ratio called the Rayleigh number (Bercovici, 2010)
𝜌0 𝑔𝛼𝑣 (𝑇1 − 𝑇0 )𝑏3
𝑅𝑎 =
𝜇𝑘
𝜌0 𝑔𝛼𝑣 (∆𝑇)𝑏 3
𝑅𝑎 =
𝜇𝑘
where 𝜌0 is fluid density, 𝑔 is gravity, 𝛼𝑣 is thermal expansivity (units of 𝐾 −1 ), ∆𝑇 is the difference
in temperature between the bottom and top surfaces, 𝑏 is the layer thickness, 𝜇is fluid viscosity
(units of Pa s) and 𝑘 is fluid thermal diffusivity (units of 𝑚2 𝑠 −1) (Bercovici, 2010).

For the Earth’s mantle, the typical average properties from which the Rayleigh are
𝑘𝑔
▪ 𝜌0 ≈ 4000 𝑚3
𝑚
▪ 𝑔 = 10
𝑠2
▪ 𝛼 = 3 𝑥 10−5 𝐾 −1
▪ ∆𝑇 = 𝑇1 − 𝑇0 ≈ 3000𝐾
▪ 𝑏 = 2900 𝑘𝑚 = 2900000 𝑚
▪ 𝜇 = 1022 𝑃𝑎 𝑠
𝑚
▪ 𝑘 = 10−6 𝑠2

Considering the above data, it is concluded that

𝑘𝑔 𝑚
(4000 )(10 2 )(3 𝑥 10−5 𝐾 −1 )(3000𝐾)(2900000 𝑚)3
𝑅𝑎 = 𝑚3 𝑠
𝑚
(1022 𝑃𝑎 𝑠)(10−6 2 )
𝑠
𝑹𝒂 = 𝟖. 𝟕𝟖 𝒙 𝟏𝟎𝟔
Taken together these lead to a Rayleigh number of approximately around 106 − 108 , which is
well beyond supercritical; although the mantle viscosity is extremely high, the mantle is also very
hot and very large and hence convecting vigorously (Bercovici, 2010).

The Nusselt number (𝑁𝑢) is defined as the ratio of the heat flow rate with convection 𝑄 to the
heat flow rate by conduction 𝑄𝐶 in the absence of convection.
𝑄
𝑁𝑢 =
𝑄𝐶
And the Nusselt number is related to Rayleigh number by a proportion of

𝑁𝑢 = 0.294𝑅𝑎1/3
Using the value of Rayleigh number that we founded previously

𝑁𝑢 = (0. 𝑥294)(8.78𝑥106 )1/3

𝑁𝑢 = 60.65
So,
𝑄
60.65 =
𝑄𝐶
𝟔𝟎. 𝟔𝟓 𝑸𝑪 = 𝑸

References

Bercovici, D. (2010). Mantle convection. Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics, Harsh Gupta
(Ed.), Springer, (203).
Turcotte, D. L., & Schubert, G. (2014). Geodynamics. Cambridge University Press.