[Rockhounds] Unexpected Widespread Structures Detected Near Earth’s Core

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

University of Maryland geophysicists analyzed thousands of recordings of
seismic waves, sound waves traveling through the Earth, to identify echoes
from the boundary between Earth’s molten core and the solid mantle layer
above it. The echoes revealed more widespread, heterogenous
structures—areas of unusually dense, hot rock—at the core-mantle boundary
than previously known.

Scientists are unsure of the composition of these structures, and previous
studies have provided only a limited view of them. Better understanding
their shape and extent can help reveal the geologic processes happening
deep inside Earth. This knowledge may provide clues to the workings of
plate tectonics and the evolution of our planet.

The new research provides the first comprehensive view of the core-mantle
boundary over a wide area with such detailed resolution. The study was
published in the June 12, 2020, issue of the journal *Science*.

The researchers focused on echoes of seismic waves traveling beneath the
Pacific Ocean basin. Their analysis revealed a previously unknown structure
beneath the volcanic Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific and showed that
the structure beneath the Hawaiian Islands is much larger than previously
known.

https://scitechdaily.com/unexpected-widespread-structures-detected-near-earths-core-a-totally-new-perspective/