A convection model to explain anisotropy of the inner core

Seismic evidence suggests that the solid inner core of the Earth may be ani sotropic. Several models have been proposed to explain this anisotropy as t he result of preferred orientation of crystals. They range from a large ann ealed single crystal, growth at the melt interface, to deformation-induced texture. In this study texture development by deformation during inner core convection is explored for epsilon-iron (hcp) and gamma-iron (fcc). Convec tion patterns for harmonic degree two were investigated in detail. In the m odel it is assumed that traces of potassium are uniformly dispersed in the inner core and act as a heat source. Both for fee and hcp iron, crystal rot ations associated with intracrystalline slip during deformation can plausib ly explain a 1-3% anisotropy in P waves with faster velocities along the N- S axis and slower ones in the equatorial plane. The effect of single crysta l elastic constants is explored.