A public lecture by Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić, the Head of Seismology and Mathematical Geophysics Group at the Australian National University.
More than 75 years ago, the Earth’s core was hypothesized to be solid in the centre as a result of a liquid–solid phase change in iron, which implies that shear waves in its solid part (seismic J phase) should exist. Some claims of such observations have been made, but due to its small amplitudes the J phase has
remained elusive. According to some researchers, the compressional body waves that convert to shear waves during the passage through the inner core (a.k.a. PKJKP) were termed “the holy grail of body wave seismology”.
Prof. Tkalčić will tell the story of an 80-year quest to find PKJKP waves and how it took an unexpected turn.
FREE event. All Welcome.