Scientists discover molten rock under tectonic plates

Certainly, there is much more to Planet Earth that we have yet to discover. Proof of this is that several discoveries are still being made.

Recently, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin discovered a layer of molten rock under the tectonic plates. According to the report, this new data can say a lot about the movement of the plates.

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How did the discovery

The study was published in detail in the journal Nature Knows this week, more precisely on the 6th of February. In it we can find some details of a discovery made a few years ago through the observation of scientists, with emphasis on the leader of the research, post-doctoral student Julian Hua.

In this case, the scientist explains that he started researching seismic images of the mantle under Turkey, when he came across these patches of partially melted rock under the crust. Initially, he believed that it was an anomaly, however, in further research, he discovered that the fact is, in fact, common throughout the Earth.

Thus, it was possible to discover that this layer is about 160 kilometers from the Earth's surface, more precisely in the asthenosphere, under the tectonic plates. This location in the upper mantle is very important as it influences the movement of tectonic plates through the mantle.

Thus, the question arises whether this new layer also exerts influence on tectonic movements. In order to attest to this relationship, maps of partially melted rock patches were compared with areas of greater tectonic movement.

Effect of partially melted rocks on plate movement

In common sense, we believe that something that has the fluid consistency of molten rock would make the plates more susceptible to movement. By the way, this was also Hua's thought, so that the scientist was surprised when he compared the location of the spots with the map of seismic movements.

To the scientist's surprise, there was no correlation between the places of greatest seismic movement and these masses of partially melted rock. This could point to the fact that, somehow, this layer can influence the stability of tectonic plates. However, further studies are needed to confirm this issue.

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