Chinese Academy Maps 6 New Deep-Earth Structures From 2 Million Quakes
Updated
Updated · Futurism · Sep 5
Chinese Academy Maps 6 New Deep-Earth Structures From 2 Million Quakes
3 articles · Updated · Futurism · Sep 5
Summary
Six previously undocumented zones of deep-Earth heterogeneity were identified by Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers in a new global map of structures near the core-mantle boundary.
More than 2 million earthquakes from 1990 to 2024 were processed with a machine-learning system that detected nearly 175,000 PKP precursor signals—about 10 times more than all previous studies combined.
Those signals are thought to come from small irregularities roughly 1,800 miles below the surface, just above where the solid mantle meets the liquid iron core.
The study says the newly mapped features form broad, continuous bands rather than isolated patches and may be tied to ancient subduction material altered by extreme pressure and heat.
That fuller map could improve understanding of Earth’s layered formation and eventually aid research into the timing or severity of future seismic activity.