Assessing Mantle Velocity Uncertainty in Receiver-Function Imaging of the Transition Zone Using the Spectral Element Method

I rate this course at 5 out of 5 because it helped me understand why it is important to use Receiver function (RF) imaging of the mantle transition zone (MTZ)—the region between the 410-km and 660-km seismic discontinuities—is a cornerstone technique for investigating Earth’s deep thermal and compositional structure. seismologists can map the thickness of the MTZ, which acts as a thermometer for mantle upwellings (thinning) and cold downwellings (thickening). However, a critical limitation in this technique is the dependence on a background velocity model for calculating moveout times during migration. Misestimation of the seismic velocities, particularly within the upper mantle, introduces significant uncertainty in the converted depths of the 410 and 660 discontinuities. The Spectral Element Method (SEM) has emerged as a powerful, high-fidelity modeling tool to quantify these uncertainties, outperforming traditional ray theory by simulating 3D wave propagation and full waveform effects