Ancient tectonic plates are oozing along Earth's core: Thousands of earthquakes yield best picture yet of core-mantle boundary, shedding light on deep flows of viscous rock.

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2025. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Dinneen, James 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on recent research that provides a detailed understanding of the core-mantle boundary, located 2,900 kilometers beneath Earth's surface, using seismic data from over 5,300 earthquakes. Researchers have discovered that this boundary is not the smooth interface typically depicted in textbooks, but rather features complex structures, including large low shear velocity provinces and remnants of ancient tectonic plates. The study highlights the presence of seismic anisotropy, indicating large-scale flows of rock that influence plate tectonics. This new mapping could enhance connections between deep Earth processes and surface phenomena, such as volcanic activity. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2025/12, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Geology
  • Publication Date:2025
  • Accession Number:190353000
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Sciencemag.org is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.