On the Ekman instability at the core–mantle boundary

Resumo

It is shown that the instability of turbulent flows with Ekman velocity profiles in the vicinity of the core–mantle boundary leads to the formation of horizontally oriented circulating roll structures. The geophysical implications of the presence of such structures in the liquid core are explored, namely, the formation of the hot zones with enhanced conductivity and their influence on geomagnetic reversals.