Scientists have unveiled remnants of Earth’s primordial crust, termed “sunken worlds,” buried far beneath the planet’s surface. These deep mantle structures, found beneath oceans and continents, include locations with no apparent tectonic history, such as the western Pacific. Their presence challenges established theories about Earth’s interior dynamics.
Advanced seismic imaging methods revealed these anomalies, offering the most detailed view of Earth’s interior yet. Unlike previously known subducted tectonic slabs—found where plates converge—these features exist in areas devoid of geological collision evidence. Researchers speculate these formations could be remnants of Earth’s early crust or dense materials formed over hundreds of millions of years.
This breakthrough, reported in Scientific Reports, utilized “full-waveform inversion.” By combining earthquake data into a cohesive model with the Piz Daint supercomputer, scientists produced an unprecedentedly clear map of the planet’s hidden layers. Despite similarities in how seismic waves travel through these structures and subducted plates, their exact nature remains elusive.
Experts are exploring the unique properties of these formations, such as wave speed differences, to decode their composition. Some suggest they could provide clues about Earth’s formation 4 billion years ago or other hidden geological processes.
The mystery of these ancient “blobs” marks a new frontier in understanding Earth’s evolution, with implications for geology and planetary science.
“Unexpected Tectonic Plate Remnants Discovered Beneath Earth’s Surface”
Earth’s closest approach to the Sun: Perihelion Day on January 4
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