Summary
The stress and strain fields in various earth models are studied under the assumption of an elastic mantle and the existence of thermal stresses which are proportional to the difference between the initial and present temperatures. The thermoelastic equilibrium equation for a 49-layered earth with spherical symmetry is integrated and programmed for various combinations of velocities, densities and temperatures. Results show that the strains in the upper mantle depend to a great extent on the thermal model. Central radial strain ranges from 5.2 to 7.3 per cent and the central pressure ranges between 3.1 and 3.7×1012 dynes/cm2 for all models. It is established that the thermal history of the earth could not have changedBullen's pressures by more than 0.4×1012 dynes/cm2.
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Contribution No. 1095, Division of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.
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Ben-Menahem, A., Cisternas, A. Thermoelastic stresses and strains in a gravitating earth. Geofisica Pura e Applicata 55, 21–30 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02011211
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02011211