CSEDI: Observational and Theoretical Constraints on the Structure and Rotation of the Inner Core

Project Summary The major goals of this collaborative proposal are two-folds: (1) To obtain high resolution images of inner core anisotropy, through the proposed PASSCAL experiment; (2) To develop a geodynamic model for the origin of the observed seismic anisotropy. Recent seismological observations on the anisotropy and rotation of the inner core and numerical simulations of the geodynamo have advanced considerably our knowledge of the structure and the dynamics at the center of the Earth. Further advances, however, are limited by a lack of data at critical locations and orientations. Incomplete models of inner core anisotropy limit inferences of the rate of inner core rotation and insu cient sampling of the inner core with depth adversely a ects the resolution of a possible transition zone inside the inner core. A dense array of stations at high latitudes is ideal for providing the necessary data coverage.