KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
- Brian Kennett (Australian National University, Australia)
- Lars Stixrude (University College London, UK)
- Frédéric Deschamps (Instit. Geophysics ETH, Zurich)
- Tomoo Katsura (Inst. Study Earth's Interior, Okayama University)
- Dan Frost (Univ. Bayreuth, Germany)
- Arwen Deuss (Cambridge Univ. UK)
- Dave Bercovici (Yale Univ., USA)
- Maureen Long (Yale Univ., USA)
- Haemyong Jung (Seoul Nat. Univ., KR)
- Einat Lev (LDEO Columbia Univ., USA)


As resolution of geophysical lithosphere and mantle structure improves and dynamic models can achieve more and more Earth-like conditions, quantitative testing of dynamic hypotheses against data is within reach. To interpret or predict geophysical observables (including
seismic velocities, attenuation, anisotropy, electrical conductivity, heat flow, gravity and geoid) requires linking thermophysical parameters of mantle minerals to pressure, temperature and composition in the Earth. Compilations of comprehensive databases of thermodynamic
properties of all relevant minerals, grounded in internally consistent thermodynamic formulations make this possible. In the last decade enormous progress in experimental and theoretical mineral physics has allowed a better understanding of the elastic properties of individual mantle minerals and petrology with large impacts on the interpretation of seismic anisotropy. Amongst other important discoveries, the possible presence of water stored in nominally anhydrous minerals of the transition zone could have major implications for the rheology of this region, which modulates interaction between plate tectonics and the deep mantle and may be critical for reconciling seismic results with specific petrologic models. We seek to bring together mineral physicists, seismologists and geodynamicists and other geophysicists to link observables to dynamic processes.