Scientific method
Reconstruction of three-dimensional variations in seismic wave speed within the Earth from very large numbers of wave observations. It produces images of the mantle, but they are model reconstructions with finite resolution, not photographs.
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Each claim states how it is known and cites its evidence.
Whole-mantle seismic imaging combines accurate computation of the wavefield with the information contained in complete seismic waveforms, rather than arrival times alone, to reconstruct three-dimensional structure.
Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence one source
Evidence: French 2015 Peer-reviewed
Standard seismic tomography would struggle to detect purely thermal mantle plumes at all: geodynamic computations predict tails only several hundred kilometres wide, below the resolution such techniques reliably achieve.
Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence one source
Evidence: French 2015 Peer-reviewed
Record last updated 2026-09-06. Corrections follow the published corrections policy; superseded claims are retained, never silently edited.