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AI identifies six new geological structures deep within Earth's mantle

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have identified six previously unknown geological structures located approximately 2,900 kilometers beneath the Earth's surface. These structures sit at the boundary between the Earth's mantle and its liquid outer core.

To make the discovery, the team utilized a deep learning artificial intelligence algorithm to analyze over two million seismic waveforms recorded between 1990 and 2024. The AI successfully identified 174,929 high-quality PKP precursor signals, which are extremely weak seismic signals used to study the lower mantle.

The identified structures are situated beneath Eurasia, Central Asia, and the South Atlantic basin. Scientists suggest these anomalies may be remnants of subducted oceanic plates or fragments of the ancient protoplanet Theia. The study was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

Entities

Chinese Academy of Sciences · Institute of Geology and Geophysics · Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth · Juan Li · Theia · Zhi Guan

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