(ORDO NEWS) — Nearly a year ago, scientists announced the discovery of two giant “blobs” deep inside the Earth that, according to a new study, turned out to be dynamic structures.
These huge ancient objects, called mantle plumes one under Africa and one under the Pacific Ocean, both of which create volcanoes when they touch the Earth’s surface were previously thought to be stationary.
“The structures are comparable in size to the size of continents, but this does not mean that they do not change shape over time,” says a joint study by scientists from Australia, China and France, published in the journal Nature.
The mantle plumes were mobile. At present, the structures of the basal mantle are being deformed.”
Mysterious structures of the Earth
The authors of the study note that, like the continents, these mysterious deep structures of the Earth can form “superdrops” and then break up into small parts.
Modeling found that the African Drop likely formed as little as 60 million years ago, an average of ten times smaller than previous estimates.
Oddly enough, the researchers say the discovery could help the global economy, as new insights into the nature of the droplets could better pinpoint where diamonds, nickels and other valuable resources are hiding, making them easier to mine.
The mining and energy industries must take into account this level of research to make the right economic and environmental decisions in the future that will improve the overall human quality of life, not individual enrichment.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.