The origin of short-period precursors to PKP

1975 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 765-786
Author(s):  
C. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Lowermost Mantle

abstract An investigation of the origin of precursors to short-period PKP phases has been undertaken using 23 earthquakes recorded at the Yellowknife Array at distances between 123° and 143°. In particular, the pattern of slowness and azimuth changes with time has been examined for coherent bursts of energy occurring throughout the precursor wave train. These temporal changes demonstrate that the precursor energy is most satisfactorily explained by scattering from small inhomogeneities at the core-mantle boundary or in the lowermost mantle, both before P-wave energy enters the core and when it re-emerges into the mantle. Moreover, scattering before entry into the core seems to generate the larger amplitudes. The bulk of the data cannot be attributed to reflection or sharp upward refraction from velocity discontinuities within the lower part of the outer core, although there is some ambiguous evidence for a reflecting interface at a depth of about 4850 km.

Multiple inner core reflections from a Novaya Zemlya explosion

1972 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 1063-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Lower Bound ◽  
Inner Core ◽  
Nuclear Explosion ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
The Core ◽  
Velocity Channel

Abstract The phases P2KP, P3KP, and P4KP are well recorded from the Novaya Zemlya nuclear explosion of October 14, 1970, with the branch AB at distances of up to 20° beyond the theoretical end point A. This extension is attributed to diffraction around the core-mantle boundary. A slowness dT/dΔ = 4.56±0.02 sec/deg is determined for the AB branch of P4KP, in excellent agreement with recent determinations of the slowness of diffracted P. This slowness implies a velocity of 13.29±0.06 km/sec at the base of the mantle, and confirms recent suggestions of a low-velocity channel above the core-mantle boundary. There is evidence that arrivals recorded before the AB branch of P2KP may lie on two branches, with different slownesses. The ratio of amplitudes of successive orders of multiple inner core reflections gives a lower bound of about 2200 for Q in the outer core.

Precursors to PKKP

1978 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 1059-1079
Author(s):  
Andre C. Chang ◽  
John R. Cleary
Keyword(s):  
Regional Variation ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Seismic Array ◽  
Qualitative Explanation ◽  
Similar Investigation ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
The Core

abstract Consistent precursors to PKKP from Novaya Zemlya explosions have been detected at the LASA seismic array in Montana. The precursory wave train is at least 65 sec long, and up to seven distinct and correlatable arrivals can be observed in the train. A similar investigation of E. Kazakh explosions, however, showed no evidence of precursors. A hypothesis of scattering on reflection at the core-mantle boundary provides a qualitative explanation of the observed precursors. The source of the scattered waves cannot be established with certainty, but the simplest interpretation is that they are generated by irregularities (“bumps”) on the boundary itself. The absence of precursors from E. Kazakh explosions is at least partly explicable in terms of the lower magnitudes of these events, but could be a result also of regional variation in the scattering properties of the core-mantle boundary.

scholarly journals Imaging the lowermost mantle (D″) and the core-mantle boundary withSKKScoda waves

2008 ◽  
Vol 175 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Wang ◽  
Maarten V. de Hoop ◽  
Robert D. van der Hilst
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
Lowermost Mantle

scholarly journals Persistent westward drift of the geomagnetic field at the core–mantle boundary linked to recurrent high-latitude weak/reverse flux patches

2020 ◽  
Vol 222 (2) ◽  
pp. 1423-1432
Author(s):  
Andreas Nilsson ◽  
Neil Suttie ◽  
Monika Korte ◽  
Richard Holme ◽  
Mimi Hill
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
Convection Rolls ◽  
Westward Drift

SUMMARY Observations of changes in the geomagnetic field provide unique information about processes in the outer core where the field is generated. Recent geomagnetic field reconstructions based on palaeomagnetic data show persistent westward drift at high northern latitudes at the core–mantle boundary (CMB) over the past 4000 yr, as well as intermittent occurrence of high-latitude weak or reverse flux patches. To further investigate these features, we analysed time-longitude plots of a processed version of the geomagnetic field model pfm9k.1a, filtered to remove quasi-stationary features of the field. Our results suggest that westward drift at both high northern and southern latitudes of the CMB have been a persistent feature of the field over the past 9000 yr. In the Northern Hemisphere we detect two distinct signals with drift rates of 0.09° and 0.25° yr−1 and dominant zonal wavenumbers of m = 2 and 1, respectively. Comparisons with other geomagnetic field models support these observations but also highlight the importance of sedimentary data that provide crucial information on high-latitude geomagnetic field variations. The two distinct drift signals detected in the Northern Hemisphere can largely be decomposed into two westward propagating waveforms. We show that constructive interference between these two waveforms accurately predicts both the location and timing of previously observed high-latitude weak/reverse flux patches over the past 3–4 millennia. In addition, we also show that the 1125-yr periodicity signal inferred from the waveform interference correlates positively with variations in the dipole tilt over the same time period. The two identified drift signals may partially be explained by the westward motion of high-latitude convection rolls. However, the dispersion relation might also imply that part of the drift signal could be caused by magnetic Rossby waves riding on the mean background flow.

The velocities in the outer core

1971 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 1051-1059
Author(s):  
A. L. Hales ◽  
J. L. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Distribution ◽  
Lower Limit ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Time Of Arrival ◽  
Travel Times ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
Arc Distance ◽  
The Difference

abstract Earlier studies of the velocity distribution in the outer core have been based on the travel times of SKS.SKS arrivals can only be observed satisfactorily for arc distances at the surface greater than 85°. This lower limit of observation of SKS corresponds to an arc distance of 40.2° within the core. Thus the velocities in the outermost 250 km of the core are based upon an extrapolation. We have used observations of the difference in time of arrival of SKKS and SKS to obtain core travel times extending the range of observation down to a Δ within the core of about 14°. The velocity distribution thus found is significantly lower than those of Jeffreys (Bullen, 1963) and Randall (in press) near the core mantle boundary.

GRACEFUL: Probing the deep Earth interior by synergistic use of observations of the magnetic and gravity fields, and of the rotation of the Earth

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mioara Mandea ◽  
Veronique Dehant ◽  
Anny Cazenave
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Gravity Field ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Earth Rotation ◽  
Outer Core ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Earth

<div> <p>To understand the processes involved in the deep interior of the Earth and explaining its evolution, in particular the dynamics of the Earth’s fluid iron-rich outer core, only indirect satellite and ground observations are available. They each provide invaluable information about the core flow but are incomplete on their own:</p> <p>-        The time dependent magnetic field, originating mainly within the core, can be used to infer the motions of the fluid at the top of the core on decadal and subdecadal time scales.</p> <p>-        The time dependent gravity field variations that reflect changes in the mass distribution within the Earth and at its surface occur on a broad range of time scales. Decadal and interannual variations include the signature of the flow inside the core, though they are largely dominated by surface contributions related to the global water cycle and climate-driven land ice loss.</p> <p>-        Earth rotation changes (or variations in the length of the day) also occur on these time scales, and are largely related to the core fluid motions through exchange of angular momentum between the core and the mantle at the core-mantle boundary.</p> <p>Here, we present the main activities proposed in the frame of the GRACEFUL ERC project, which aims to combine information about the core deduced from the gravity field, from the magnetic field and from the Earth rotation in synergy, in order to examine in unprecedented depth the dynamical processes occurring inside the core and at the core-mantle boundary.</p> </div>

Towards consistent seismological models of the core-mantle boundary landscape

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Koelemeijer
Keyword(s):  
Normal Mode ◽  
Lower Mantle ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Body Wave ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Mantle Boundary ◽  
Core Mantle Boundary ◽  
The Core ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Multiple Data Sets

<p>The dynamic topography of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) provides important constraints on dynamic processes in the mantle and core. However, inferences on CMB topography are complicated by the uneven coverage of data with sensitivity to different length scales and strong heterogeneity in the lower mantle. Particularly, a trade-off exists with density variations, which ultimately drive mantle flow and are vital for determining the origin of mantle structures. Here, I review existing models of CMB topography and lower mantle density, focusing on seismological constraints (Koelemeijer, 2020). I develop average models and vote maps with the aim to find model consistencies and discuss what these may teach us about lower mantle structure and dynamics.</p><p>While most density models image two areas of dense anomalies beneath Africa and the Pacific, their exact location and relationship to seismic velocity structure differs between studies. CMB topography strongly influences the retrieved density structure, which partially helps to resolve differences between recent studies based on Stoneley modes and tidal measurements. CMB topography models vary both in pattern and amplitude and a discrepancy exists between models based on body-wave and normal-mode data. As existing models typically feature elevated topography below the Large-Low-Velocity Provinces (LLVPs), very dense compositional anomalies may be ruled out as possibility.</p><p>To achieve a similar consistency as observed in lower mantle models of S-wave and P-wave velocity, future studies should combine multiple data sets to break existing trade-offs between CMB topography and density. Important considerations in these studies should be the choice of theoretical approximation and parameterisation. Efforts to develop models of CMB topography consistent with both body-wave and normal-mode data should be intensified, which will aid in narrowing down possible explanations for the LLVPs and provide additional insights into mantle dynamics.</p><p><em>Koelemeijer, P. (2020), “Towards consistent seismological models of the core-mantle boundary landscape”. Book chapter in revision for AGU monograph "Mantle upwellings and their surface expressions", edited by Marquardt, Cottaar, Ballmer and Konter</em></p>

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