(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists at the University of Alabama have discovered a thick, thin layer that may be the ancient ocean floor between Earth‘s core and mantle.
A study uses global seismic imaging to uncover a layer of ancient ocean floor that may span the boundary between the core and the mantle.
This ultra-low velocity zone (ELZ) is deep underground and is denser than the rest of the deep mantle, thus slowing down seismic waves at the surface.
George Lindahl III University of California Geological Science Professor Dr. Samantha Hansen explains that seismic surveys provide the most detailed picture of the Earth’s internal structure.
This study links the shallow and deep structure of the Earth to the processes that govern the planet.
Together with Dr. Hansen, the study was carried out by teams of scientists from the University of Arizona and the University of Leeds in the UK, who used 15 stations in the Antarctic network to collect data and create an image of the “innards” of the Earth.
This project, for the first time, was able to survey much of the southern hemisphere at high resolution.
Scientists have discovered unexpected energy in seismic data by mapping a variable layer of material that is pencil-thin compared to the thickness of Earth’s dominant layers.
This layer is called the ultra-low velocity zone (ELZ) due to the strong decrease in wave speed.
ZSS can be explained by the subsidence of the ancient ocean floor to the boundary between the core and the mantle.
Oceanic material is transported into the Earth’s interior in subduction zones, where tectonic plates meet and one of them goes under the other.
In addition, the study of ZSS can help to understand how matter circulates in the Earth’s mantle and what processes underlie the dynamics of the Earth’s crust.
The research could also have important practical applications, as knowledge of the Earth’s internal structure can help predict seismic and volcanic events.
This study is one of many examples of how modern scientific methods are expanding our knowledge of our planet and its origins.
The use of global scale seismic imaging makes it possible to explore the deep layers of the Earth that were previously inaccessible to study.
The results of this research could lead to new discoveries and useful applications in fields ranging from geology to geophysics to climatology.
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