Creating the next generation of Reference Earth Models

Global seismologists produce models of the Earth's interior that mineral physicists and geodynamicists use as reference for constraining compositional and dynamical properties of our planet. The reference seismological models must be reviewed from time to time to reflect state‐of‐the‐art knowledge about the internal structure of the Earth and to provide scientists in other fields with clear and useful information. In turn, the data and concepts of mineral physics and geodynamics provide potential constraints on Earth models. Geophysicists currently rely on a one‐dimensional seismological reference model, the Preliminary Reference Earth Model (PREM), published by A. Dziewonski and D. Anderson in 1981. Because seismology and the demands of other fields have evolved vastly since PREM was created, geophysicists have been discussing the need for a next‐generation reference Earth model that incorporates new knowledge and trends in seismology, mineral physics, and geodynamics.