Analyzing Earthquake Data for 3D Interior Imaging

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Modern analysis techniques and computational methods using earthquake data provide insights into the Earth's interior. This includes observing volcanic plumes rising from the core mental boundary to the surface, identifying subducting slabs where tectonic plates descend, and detecting colder materials moving towards the core mental boundary. The analysis is now able to provide a 3D picture of the Earth's interior structure, going beyond just depth measurements.

The radius of the Earth is over 6,000 kilometers, but the deepest we've ever dug below the surface is only about 12 km. Yet we have a quite reliable idea of the structure of the Earth's interior -- inner core, outer core, mantle, crust -- not to mention pretty good pictures of what's going on inside some other planets. How do we know those things, and what new things are we learning in the exoplanet era? I talk with astrophysicist and planetary scientist Sabine Stanley about how we use gravitation, seismology, magnetic fields, and other tools to learn what's happening inside planets.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/01/29/264-sabine-stanley-on-whats-inside-planets/

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Sabine Stanley received a Ph.D. in geophysics from Harvard University. She is currently a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University. She has been awarded the William Gilbert Award from the American Geophysical Union. Her recent book is What's Hidden Inside Planets?

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