Natural Patterns of Free Convection: From Laboratory Models to Geological Structures

The chapter examines the patterns of convective structure formation in natural environments, ranging from atmospheric and oceanic currents to solidified lava flows. Based on an analysis of the geometry and morphology of natural formations, the connection between the observed forms and the classical Rayleigh–Benard and Benard–Marangoni free convection regimes is discussed. Particular attention is paid to solidified natural structures exhibiting a cellular and layered organisation similar to laboratory systems. A hypothesis is proposed regarding the renormalisation properties of natural convective structures and their multi-level self-organisation.