Concept
Core-Mantle Boundary
Also Known As The Gutenberg Discontinuity
Seismology
The boundary between Earth's silicate mantle and its liquid iron-nickel outer core, 2,891 kilometers below the surface, observed through the discontinuity in seismic wave velocities at that depth. P-waves slow sharply in the outer core and S-waves do not travel through its liquid at all; the uppermost outer core is thought to be about 500 to 1,800 Kelvin hotter than the overlying mantle, and variations in the boundary's thermal properties may affect the flows of the outer core's iron-rich fluids that are ultimately responsible for Earth's magnetic field. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Connections
Associated With
The boundary's topography is thought to be supported by solid-state convection within the overlying mantle.
Source Core-Mantle Boundary (Wikipedia)
A plume is posited to nucleate at the core-mantle boundary and rise through the mantle.
Source Mantle Plume (Wikipedia)
In Discipline
The boundary is observed via the discontinuity in seismic wave velocities at its depth.
Source Core-Mantle Boundary (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Shadow Zone (Wikipedia)
WikipediaBackground sectionQuote, Background section
In 1913, Beno Gutenberg noticed the abrupt change in seismic velocities of the P waves and disappearance of S waves at the core-mantle boundary.
View the Source Core-Mantle Boundary (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
The boundary is observed via the discontinuity in seismic wave velocities at that depth due to the differences between the acoustic impedances of the solid mantle and the molten outer core.
Discovery
The discontinuity was discovered by Beno Gutenberg, a seismologist who made several important contributions to the study and understanding of the Earth's interior.
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