Science & Technology: Difficulties of 3-D Imaging of Earth's Mantle

What Lies Deep in the Mantle Below? (EOS)

For decades, scientists have probed Earth's remote mantle by analyzing how seismic waves of distant earthquakes pass through it. But we are still challenged by the technique's limitations.

Deep within Earth’s interior, in the brittle lithosphere and in the viscous asthenosphere below it, magma collects and ultimately feeds erupting volcanoes on Earth’s surface. This magma holds keys to understanding the processes that create island chains like Hawaii.

However, scientists can map the mantle—or any part of Earth’s interior—only by using remote sensing techniques. The most important such technique is seismic tomography.

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