Coherent Vortices in the Mantle: A Scaling Theory for LLSVPs and the Iceland Plume

Large Low–Velocity Provinces (LLVPs) in the lowermost mantle exhibit sharp lateral boundaries, internal heterogeneity, isotopic anomalies indicative of early Earth reservoirs, and prolonged spatial stability.[1]. In this paper, we propose that LLVPs are fossilized “mantle hurricanes”—relics of large, coherent vortices that developed during early planetary cooling when the mantle was partially molten. In this scenario, rotational flow organized fluids into spiral, banded, or vortex-shaped domains which subsequently became compositionally locked in as the mantle crystallized, preserving the geometry of ancient fluid motion, like a fossil. This interpretation provides a unified explanation for the longevity of LLVPs and predicts that LLVPs should contain evidence of past rotational shear, including azimuthally organized anisotropy and spiral compositional structure. It further suggests that locations such as Iceland represent active boundary-breach sites, where residual vortex cores weaken the thermal boundary layer and permit ascent of deep mantle materials. The hypothesis is testable through integration of seismic tomography, anisotropy mapping, thermochemical convection modeling, and geochemical datasets. If validated, it implies that the solid Earth retains a structural memory of early dynamical organization and that present-day mantle plumes and tectonic patterns are influenced by “fossil vortices” formed billions of years ago.