Seismic Constraints on the Temperature and Composition of Earth's Interior: Some Open Questions

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• Fabio Cammarano, Roma 3 University
• Wednesday 28 May 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Wolfson Lecture Theatre.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Adriano Gualandi.

Despite major advances in the quantity and quality of seismic data, several first-order questions about the thermal and compositional structure of the Earth’s interior remain unresolved. This is due in part to the uncertain relationship between seismic velocities and physical properties such as temperature and composition, but more critically, to the limited resolving power of seismic observations and the lack of a clear physical meaning of seismic models.

In this talk, I will review several efforts made over the years to address two fundamental questions through an interdisciplinary approach: a) Is the Earth’s mantle well-mixed, and to what extent? b) What do we know about the bulk composition, thermal state (and thickness) of the continental lithosphere?

The first question will involve a review of seismic constraints on the spherically averaged structure of the Earth’s mantle, focusing on current insights into thermal and compositional variations with depth. Given the complexity of this topic, I will highlight select studies and findings from my past research that help illuminate these issues, while leaving open areas of ongoing debate and uncertainty.

For addressing the second question, I will focus on recent advancements in imaging the continental lithosphere, with a particular focus on the crustal portion. I will discuss techniques such as ambient noise analysis to measure the dispersion and attenuation of short-period surface waves, along with receiver function analysis, to refine our understanding of the composition and thermal state of the lithosphere. Finally, I will explore efforts to develop thermochemical models of the Earth’s crust that align with these seismic observations.

This talk is part of the Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars
• Department of Earth Sciences seminars
• Wolfson Lecture Theatre

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