Department of Earth’s Physics and Astrophysics, Faculty of Physics, University Complutense of Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
and Institute of Geosciences (IGEO, UCM-CSIC), Faculty of Physics, Plaza de Ciencias 1.
E-28040 Madrid, Spain
The Earth’s Inner Core: An Enigmatic Puzzle in the Most Inaccessible Part of Our Planet
Abstract: Since its discovery in 1936 by the Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann, the Earth’s Inner core (EIC) has revealed several puzzling physical properties. It has been shown that the solid core has an axisymmetric anisotropic structure with seismic waves travelling ~3% faster along polar paths than along equatorial directions. Complex hemispherical patterns were further detected through massive seismological observations. In this talk, after a brief review of its history, I will illustrate the importance of bridging together seismological observations to the theoretical modelling of condensed matter physics. Understanding the peculiar behaviour of iron at the extreme EIC conditions, such as its elastic properties, viscosity etc…, allow us to address the entangled seismic observations and to delineate a more consistent geodynamical scenario.
Short Biography: Maurizio Mattesini (Empoli, Florence, Italy) received his PhD in Physical-Chemistry of Condensed Matter at the University of Bordeaux (France) in 2001. Later was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Condensed Matter Theory Group at the Uppsala University (Sweden) and in 2003 joined the Department of Physics of Condensed Matter at the Universidad Autonóma de Madrid (Spain). In 2005 started a 5-years Senior Research Fellowship (Ramón y Cajal) at the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM, Spain), becoming Associate Professor in 2010. Since January 2021, he is a Full Professor at the Department of Earth’s Physics and Astrophysics of the UCM and a Research Fellow of the Institute of Geosciences (IGEO, Spain). Most of his research has been focused on understanding the Physical Properties of the Earth’s Inner Core from a multi-disciplinary point of view.
