No Temporal Change Seen in High‐Frequency Waves Scattered Near the Core‐Mantle Boundary

Abstract The core‐mantle boundary (CMB) and the outermost core are dynamic and heterogeneous regions with time‐dependent flows. We examine two seismic raypaths, diffracted P and PKP precursors—both replete with scattering, with precisely repeating earthquakes. These earthquakes, occurring in the South Sandwich Islands, were recorded on the Yellowknife array in Canada, the Alice Springs array in Australia, and the Eilson Array in United States for the past 30 years. In all the most resolved cases, five for diffracted P and 19 for PKP precursors, we observe 1–2 Hz scattered waves that exactly repeat within the resolution of our study for more than 10 s. Although the absence of observable changes is unsurprising, it imposes constraints on potential temporal variations near the CMB. This suggests that any dynamic processes in this region might either be too subtle to detect, even with high‐frequency waves, or occur on different timescales.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Published
2024-12-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl112155
Citations
2
Primary Topic
High-pressure geophysics and materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.07

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

No Temporal Change Seen in High‐Frequency Waves Scattered Near the Core‐Mantle Boundary

Wei Wang, J. E. Vidale, Ruoyan Wang
2 citations
Geophysical Research Letters
High-pressure geophysics and materials
1.07
article

No Temporal Change Seen in High‐Frequency Waves Scattered Near the Core‐Mantle Boundary

Wei Wang, J. E. Vidale, Ruoyan Wang
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Abstract The core‐mantle boundary (CMB) and the outermost core are dynamic and heterogeneous regions with time‐dependent flows. We examine two seismic raypaths, diffracted P and PKP precursors—both replete with scattering, with precisely repeating earthquakes. These earthquakes, occurring in the South Sandwich Islands, were recorded on the Yellowknife array in Canada, the Alice Springs array in Australia, and the Eilson Array in United States for the past 30 years. In all the most resolved cases, five for diffracted P and 19 for PKP precursors, we observe 1–2 Hz scattered waves that exactly repeat within the resolution of our study for more than 10 s. Although the absence of observable changes is unsurprising, it imposes constraints on potential temporal variations near the CMB. This suggests that any dynamic processes in this region might either be too subtle to detect, even with high‐frequency waves, or occur on different timescales.

Geophysical Research LettersVol. 51(23)
University of Southern California (US), Statewide California Earthquake Center (US), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Institute of Geology and Geophysics (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
National Science Foundation, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
High-pressure geophysics and materials
1.07
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.