A map of the Earth’s interior built from the study of seismic waves. Photo: Edward Garnero/Mingming Lee
Although the Earth appears to be stationary, various geological processes are constantly changing its appearance. Now, geologists have discovered a vast layer of land between the Earth’s mantle and core that may be the bottom of an ancient ocean that sank millions of years ago.
Scientists made the discovery when they were studying the interior of the planet by detecting seismic waves caused by earthquakes, the echoes of which were picked up by 15 sensors located in Antarctica.
This “hot ocean” was recognized because it slowed the bouncing back of seismic waves below the surface, which is also why it is technically called the Ultra Low Velocity Zone (ULVZ).
An ancient ocean drowned
Oceanic crust can move deeper into the Earth through subduction zonesthe boundary between two tectonic plates.
Thus, the rocky material that was once part of the sea floor will be distributed at the boundary between the outer core and the mantle, at a depth of approximately 2,900 kilometers, resulting in a hot sea of basalt residue and other minerals.
Although the region found is not lower than the present subduction zone, the simulations reveal that due to it thicknessAnd to express And inhomogeneous distributionThis could be the result of ocean decline millions of years ago due to tectonics, the study notes in the journal Science advances.
Experts say the ‘hot ocean’ has a greater density than the rest of the deep mantle and is tens of kilometers thick, making it look like a pencil next to the main terrestrial layers.
Previous studies have identified isolated patches of this region, but the new research indicates that this region may actually envelop the entire Earth’s core.
Subterranean mountains are higher than Everest
Although it is a thin layer, the team of experts confirms that this hot zone will contain mountains higher than Everest, the rock mass that holds the highest record on Earth’s surface.
The thickness of the material varies from a few kilometers to tens of kilometres. This suggests that we see mountains in the core, in some places as high as five times Mount Everest,” said Edward Garnero, one of the study’s co-authors.
He added that these underground “mountains” may play an important role in how heat escapes from the core, which is the part of the planet that feeds the magnetic field.
The research is crucial to understanding the large-scale formation of the mantle-core region, a region of dramatic transition between solid rock and molten metal.
“Creator. Troublemaker. Hardcore alcohol lover. Web evangelist. Extreme pop culture practitioner. Devoted zombie scholar. Avid introvert.”