Seismic evidence for water deep in Earth's upper mantle

Science. 2003 Jun 6;300(5625):1556-8. doi: 10.1126/science.1083636.

Abstract

Water in the deep upper mantle can influence the properties of seismic discontinuities in the mantle transition zone. Observations of converted seismic waves provide evidence of a 20- to 35-kilometer-thick discontinuity near a depth of 410 kilometers, most likely explained by as much as 700 parts per million of water by weight.