Towards a quantitative interpretation of global seismic tomography

Abstract

We review the success of seismic tomography in delineating spatial variations in the propagation speed of seismic waves on length scales from several hundreds to many thousands of kilometers. In most interpretations these wave speed variations are thought to reflect variations in temperature. Careful consideration of shear wave, bulk sound, and, most recently, density variations is, however, producing increasingly compelling evidence for chemical heterogeneity (that is, spatial variations in bulk major element composition) having a first-order effect on the lateral variations in mass density and elasticity of the mantle. This has profound consequences for our understanding of mantle dynamics and the thermochemical evolution of our planet. We argue that the quantitative integration of constraints from seismology, mineral physics, and geodynamics, which underlies the inference of thermochemical parameters, requires careful uncertainty analyses and should move away from emphasizing visually pleasing images and single, nonunique solutions.