An algorithm born to study the stars sheds light on earthquakes

An algorithm born to study the stars now helps to explore the heart of the Earth and understand earthquakes. It is called 'Sequencer' and, like a sort of echo sounder, it has allowed us to trace an updated map of the Earth's mantle up to a depth of 3,000 kilometers.

Described in the journal Science, the new application of the algorithm was developed by the American universities Johns Hopkins, with the group of astrophysicist Brice Ménard, and by Maryland, with the group of the seismologist Doyen Kim.

Designed to analyze the large amount of astronomical data, the algorithm can also be used to analyze the information collected in the last 30 years by thousands of seismograms, graphs that record the vibrations of the earth's crust after an earthquake. "In this way - the researchers observe - we can study the weak signals much more clearly, on a global scale and use them to build an updated map of the interior of the Earth".

The principle is to exploit the echo of seismic signals, explain the scholars. How doctors do to explore the human body through ultrasound or bats to fly in the dark. Thanks to the algorithm, experts have identified the warmest and densest regions of the mantle, particularly in the Pacific Ocean, off Hawaii.