Lehmann discontinuity

The Lehmann discontinuity refers to a region within the upper mantle, in which change the seismic velocities of the rock or their gradients quickly. The Lehmann discontinuity ( often referred to as "L- discontinuity ") was after their discoverer, the Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann Geodätin and named.

The Lehmann discontinuity was observed in various depths of 190-250 km and a global average of 210 km. Through its nature, ie, the exact cause of the increase in velocity, there are several opinions before: An opinion is based on a mechanical boundary layer, which is accompanied by a change in seismic anisotropy, while another viewpoint considers the L- discontinuity as the lower limit of the asthenosphere.

In some literature, the term " Lehmann discontinuity " is also used for the boundary between the inner and outer core, because the inner core has also been discovered by Inge Lehmann. Although this was by far the most important discovery Lehmann, the term has generally enforced but rather for the discontinuity of the upper mantle.

• Geophysics