Underground anomalies discovered for the first time leave scientists baffled
A team of geophysicists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has identified anomalies in the Earth's lower mantle, uncovering previously unknown rocky zones, according to a report by Phys.
To make these discoveries, the researchers employed a new high-resolution model of the Earth's mantle. The findings revealed submerged rocky zones beneath major oceans as well as within continental interiors.
"Apparently, these zones in the Earth's mantle are much more widespread than previously thought," explained Thomas Schouten, lead author and doctoral researcher at ETH Zurich's Geological Institute.
The origins of these geological anomalies remain unclear.
"They could represent ancient silica-rich material that has existed since the mantle's formation around 4 billion years ago and has survived despite the mantle's convective movements. Alternatively, they might be zones where iron-rich rocks have accumulated due to mantle movement over billions of years," Thomas Schouten added.
(QG - Geo / Phys / Picture: © Unsplash)