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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
Origin Year
1913 1
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)
Mantle Plume, Concepts

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 section
Quote, 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.
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Core-Mantle Boundary (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead 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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