AI Uncovers Six Mysterious Regions Deep Beneath the Earth's Surface
Scientists used artificial intelligence and millions of seismic records to discover six mysterious regions near the Earth's core-mantle boundary, offering new insights into planetary dynamics.
Deep beneath the Earth's surface, at the boundary between the mantle and the outer core, scientists have identified six previously unknown mysterious regions using artificial intelligence. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences trained a deep learning system to analyze over two million seismic records collected from nearly 5,000 earthquakes between 1990 and 2024. This generated a database of approximately 175,000 high-quality seismic signals, offering unprecedented resolution of the deep interior.
Listening to Earthquakes
Because direct physical access to these extreme depths is impossible, scientists utilize earthquakes as a planetary ultrasound scanner. Seismic waves generated by tremors travel through different layers of the planet, changing velocity and direction before returning to surface measuring instruments. When a wave encounters an anomaly in composition or structure, its behavior alters, allowing researchers to infer the presence of unusual subterranean features.
However, relevant signals are frequently extremely weak and buried within massive volumes of data. While previous studies relied on manual data processing, the new research deployed machine learning to rapidly detect subtle anomalies. This methodology revealed six distinct regions exhibiting significant variations that had eluded past documentation. Furthermore, the updated mapping indicates that certain isolated "spots" previously considered separate structures may actually form part of much larger, continuous bands.
Unidentified Subterranean Structures
Researchers cannot yet definitively explain the exact composition of these newly discovered zones. One prominent hypothesis suggests they may contain remnants of ancient tectonic plates and crustal material that sank over millions or billions of years to extreme depths. Under the severe pressure and high temperatures prevalent at the core-mantle boundary, this material likely undergoes partial melting or mineral transformation, forming distinct accumulations.
"The discovery may help us better understand how heat and material move within the Earth, processes that influence volcanic activity and tectonic plate movement."
Another intriguing, albeit speculative, possibility is that some of this deep material represents remnants of Theia, an ancient Mars-sized protoplanet that theoretically impacted Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago, eventually leading to the formation of the Moon. While the current study does not empirically prove a direct link to Theia, these six regions serve as crucial primary targets for ongoing geophysical research into planetary evolution.
