Deformation of the core-mantle boundary induced by spherical-shell, compressible convection
Single-mode, mean-field equations, for spherical-shell convection are derived, with variable viscosity and compressibility included. Core-mantle boundary (CMB) topography produced by whole mantle convection is computed for various rheologies and different thermal boundary conditions at CMB. Results for long-wavelength undulations show the extreme sensitivity of these signatures to rheological and equation of state parameters. In order to obtain excess ellipticity of about 1 km, the activation energy and volume in the lower mantle should be low, and the temperatures at CMB should be around 4500 K, in accord with recent experimental findings.