Quakes reveal deep secrets beneath East Asia

Washington: Using 3D supercomputer simulations of earthquake data, scientists have found hidden rock structures deep under East Asia. Notable structures include a high velocity colossus beneath the Tibetan plateau and a deep mantle upwelling beneath the Hangai Dome in Mongolia.

The collision of plates at the Tibetan Plateau has caused devastating earthquakes, such as the recent earthquakes in Nepal at the southern edge of where the two plates meet. Scientists hope to use earthquakes to model the substructure and better understand the origins of these earthquakes. For the results, researchers from China, Canada and the US used seismic data from 227 East Asia earthquakes during 2007-2011.