Seismic Tomography
Seismic tomography uses seismic wave behavior to infer hidden interior structures, mapping the Earth's deep layers by analyzing how wave speeds change with depth and location.
Seismic tomography is a technique that uses the travel times and paths of seismic waves to reconstruct a three-dimensional model of the Earth's interior structure. By analyzing how wave speeds vary with depth and location, scientists infer the density, temperature, and composition of subsurface materials without direct sampling. This method is fundamental to modern geophysics for mapping features like mantle plumes, subducted plates, and large low-shear-wave-velocity provinces.
What this means in real life
When doctors use CT scans to see inside your body by sending X-rays through from many angles, geophysicists do something similar with earthquake waves—bouncing them through Earth to build a 3D picture of what's hidden underground.
What it isn’t
It is not earthquake prediction or forecasting. Seismic tomography reveals what Earth looks like inside; it does not tell us when or where the next earthquake will strike.
Commonly misused online
Social media often conflates it with 'earthquake detection,' implying the technique can warn of future quakes. In reality, it only maps existing geological structures using past seismic events.