For the first time, scientists have taken a proper look at an ultra-low velocity zone. These enigmatic pockets of rock sit close to the Earth's core, about 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) below the surface.
At that depth they're obviously difficult to study, but we know they're there because of the way seismic waves flow through Earth. These zones get their name from the way seismic waves slow right down as they pass through them.
The latest in computational modeling techniques were used to produce the image, techniques applied to a high-frequency signal that was recorded as seismic waves rippled through the ultra-low velocity zone. It's thought that extra iron in these unusual zones might be creating the additional density that shows up on seismic wave patterns – and finding out one way or the other might tell us more about how Earth formed and how its core operates today.
Better imagery of these deep and mysterious zones should help in that field of research too, and scientists are also studying basalt rock on the surface in Hawaii to look for evidence of core leaking.
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