The relaxation of a decompressed inclusion (Q1897703)

The focus of the paper is the rheology of the Earth's mantle. It is determined on the basis of the results obtained from high-pressure laboratory experiments. After discussing the limitations of current experiments, the author proposes a new relaxation experiment. A mathematical model of the experimental process is derived and then shown to be equivalent to an evolution equation which is solved numerically. The results are then applied to low-temperature plasticity and power-law creep.