AI Maps Six Hidden Regions Beneath Earth's Core–Mantle Boundary
A deep-learning classifier analyzed about 2 million seismic waveforms from roughly 5,000 magnitude-6+ earthquakes, identifying around 174,929 faint PKP precursor signals and revealing six previously undocumented strong‑scattering regions (B1–B6) at the core–mantle boundary. The study, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (2026), suggests deeper mantle heterogeneities and could refine models of Earth's deep interior; the approach combines AI-driven detection with iterative human validation, and potential origins include subducted slabs or partial melting, though exact causes remain uncertain.