LLSVP

Journey Towards the Centre of the Earth: The Secret Behind the Long-Term Survival of Large Low-Velocity Provinces

Prachi Kar October 8, 2025

Geophysicists have long been intrigued by the enigmatic “blobs” residing deep within Earth’s lower mantle — the Large Low-Velocity Provinces (LLVPs). Ever wondered what keeps these gigantic thermochemical structures surviving for billions of years despite the mantle’s vigorous convection? In this week’s News & Views, Prachi Kar, a PhD candidate from Arizona State University, delves into Earth’ ...[Read More]

LLSVPs: Mysteries in the Deep Mantle

Rajani Shrestha September 7, 2022

Did you know that there are big, blob-like anomalies in the deep mantle which are larger than a continent and rise up to hundreds of kilometers from the core-mantle boundary? Today’s post is all about those blobs and what we know and do not know about them. If you want to know more about why these blobs are so interesting to study, check out this other cool blog post by Jamie Ward. If you look at ...[Read More]

Should we still study LLSVPs?

Iris van Zelst March 4, 2020

Tomography model S40RTS (Ritsema et al., 2011) at the CMB with velocity contours from -2 to 2 % δVs with increments of 0.5 % δVs.
Normally I’d add some kind of clever remark here, but it’s just a figure full of blobs. What can I say about that? Maybe that dogs are better? Scroll down for a dog! So proud that we finally have dog content on this blog.

All blobs are equal, but some blobs are more interesting than other blobs. In this new Wit & Wisdom post, Jamie Ward, PhD student in seismology at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, explores this age-old saying and discusses whether or not LLSVPs are the most important blobs in our lives. Also, there is a picture of a dog. It makes sense, I promise. Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LL ...[Read More]