Earth, a Giant Pinball Machine

An anonymous reader writes "Scientists have long probed Earth's interior by monitoring seismic waves (if earthquakes don't make them, they can be induced with explosives, and one nuke test actually triggered an earthquake!), which reveal the inner structure of the planet. But what if the method is wrong? LiveScience reports on a new study suggesting Earth is like a pinball machine, with sound waves careening around before they get to the surface. What is interpreted as a broad layer change could be nothing more than a localized density variation."

Comments

If it's wrong, we'll fix it...

[palndrumm]

But what if the method is wrong?

If the method is wrong, then our model of the Earth's interior will most likely be wrong. If that's the case, as we continue to gather more data in greater detail, it will become increasingly obvious that the data doesn't fit the model. Once we reach that point, we will either adjust the current model, or create a completely new model, that the data fits the model once again.

In other words, it'll be business as usual for the scientific method...