Boomerang earthquake recorded at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean

(ORDO NEWS) — A very strange seismic activity related to the “boomerang” type took place at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. So, scientists have registered earthquakes that happened in a circle. Such phenomena are rare, one might say, isolated.

The incident happened along the Romansh Fault. It is located near the equator in the middle of the east coast of Brazil and the west coast of Africa. The fault was formed at the junction of two plates – South American and African; its length is 0.9 kilometers.

The last seismic activity was recorded in 2016, the strength of the tremors was 7.1 points. The pictures showed the scientists that the earthquake was unusual: it followed in one direction, then turned around and went back. Previously, it was believed that something like this is possible only in theory, but new observations and studies prove the reality of boomerang earthquakes, said Stephen Hicks of Imperial College.

The strange earthquake took place in two phases. First, the tremors went up and to the east towards the weakest point – the place where the zone broke with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Then the earthquake turned and followed to the west. Interestingly, on the way back, the earthquake accelerated significantly – up to six kilometers per second.

According to scientists, during the first phase, a large amount of energy was released, which accelerated the phenomenon and caused a reversal of tremors in the underwater area in the west with a smaller size.

To analyze the situation at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, experts use underwater seismometers and remote monitoring stations. It takes a lot of time to analyze each incident.

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