EARTH MODELS WITH CONTINUOUS DENSITY DISTRIBUTION

Summary. Eight different Earth models have been set up, all with the property that the density p varies continuously from just below the crust to the centre. The distributions of the pressure p , gravity g , incompressibility k and rigidity are also given; and values of a parameter equal to (k/p)dp/dp , indicate the deviations from (chemical) homogeneity in the lower mantle and outer core. The models are designed to provide a numerical background towards testing the view that there is no density jump between the Earth's mantle and core. A discussion shows that this view is difficult to reconcile with a homogeneous core unless an implausibly low value is assumed for the density just below the crust.