A team of researchers from the University of Maryland has recently discovered a significant geological structure beneath the Pacific Ocean, described as a sort of “fossilized fingerprint” of an ancient seafloor.
This discovery, published on September 27 in the journal Science Advances, dates back to about 250 million years ago, during the era of the dinosaurs.
The structure is part of a slab of Earth’s crust that began to sink into the Earth’s mantle at the beginning of the Mesozoic period. The area in question is located within the mantle transition zone, situated between 410 and 660 kilometers deep.
The researchers, led by seismologist Jingchuan Wang, used seismic waves to examine the types of rock beneath the seafloor, creating a detailed map of the crust and mantle.
During the exploration beneath the East Pacific Rise, they identified a significant thickening of the transition zone, about 350 kilometers east of Easter Island.
Geological Significance, Techniques Used, and Possible Future Developments
This discovery is crucial because it provides new information on the internal dynamics of the Earth and the process of subduction.
Unlike typical material that disintegrates and transforms into magma, this slab avoided such a fate, suggesting that the transition zone functions as a sort of viscous barrier, slowing the movement of material through the mantle.
Seismologist Jingchuan Wang emphasized that this structure represents a unique opportunity to study the geological past of the Earth, paving the way for future research on other ancient subduction zones in the Pacific. The researchers used seismic imaging, a technique similar to computed axial tomography used in medicine, to obtain detailed images of the Earth’s interior.
This method analyzes the speed of seismic waves generated by earthquakes or artificially, revealing the physical and chemical characteristics of the materials traversed.
The discovery not only offers an unprecedented glimpse into the geological history of the Earth, but also suggests that there are further ancient structures to be discovered in the deep layers of our planet.
The researchers intend to expand their investigations into other areas of the Pacific Ocean to create a comprehensive map of ancient subduction zones and better understand how these influence the movements of current tectonic plates.
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