User:Axelwang1/PrePlan:strength of lithosphere

Topic Selection
A brief but focused description on the mechanical structure of Earth's lithosphere (possibly only continental lithosphere away from subduction zones.)

Article Evaluation and Selection
Articles evaluated:


 * 1) Lithosphere
 * 2) Brittle- ductile transition zone
 * 3) Seismogenic layer

The intended topic is very briefly covered in articles #2 and #3, but not in #1.

Article #1 should be a generic overview of (almost) all topics related to lithosphere, so is not suitable for any focused discussions on a smaller topic. The article currently adopts this idea well, giving links to other articles for more detailed explanations on a smaller, but related subjects, such as "plate tectonics' or "Lithosphere- asthenosphere boundary". Article #1 can definitely need some more expansions, as the topics related with lithosphere is far beyond what the page currently covers, namely history, type and mantle xenoliths.

Articles #2 and #3 are suitable articles to discuss a specific topic in a more detailed manner. Article #2 has too narrow of a focus in the sense that the focus should purely be on this zone (its formation, mineralogy etc.)  instead of the mechanical structure of the whole lithosphere. Article #3 is too broad in the sense that subduction- related seismogenic layers should also be discussed.

Article selected:

Rheology of Earth's lithosphere (new page)

Tentative Article Structure
The general structure is as follows:

First, some background information and related parameters are provided so that the reader will be able to understand the information in the next section.

Then, the current understanding of the rheological structure of the lithosphere are provided and linked with the investigative methods that enabled their proposals.

Lastly, the importance of studying the rheological structures are highlighted, by means of discussing how it provides implications to other important fields.


 * Theoretical background: Motion within the lithosphere.
 * Flow and elastic deformation: elastic, plastic, elastic- plastic transition, yield strength etc. (Artemieva, 2011, Chapter 8.1; Ranalli, 1995, Chapter 4).
 * Combined behavior of lithosphere materials: Short- timescale elasticity as in fault fracture and seismic waves (Ranalli, 1995, Chapter 6) and long- timescale flow as in plate tectonics (Ranalli, 1995, Chapter 8).
 * Investigative methods
 * Distribution of earthquake depths.
 * Jelly- Sandwich model: upper mantle seismicity.
 * Creme Brulee model: no upper mantle seismicity.
 * Rock physics experiments
 * Geodynamical implications
 * Seismogenesis.
 * Plate motions.

List of Figures

 * 1) Figs. 8.1 -8.2 of Artemieva, 2011.
 * 2) Fig .1 of Jackson et al, 2008.
 * 3) Figs 1a-e of Chen, 1983.