Researchers have found evidence of molten rock two thousand miles beneath the Earth's surface, challenging scientists' understanding of mantle convection. The discovery was made using seismic waves measured in Norway and detected a slurry of molten rock across a 300-by-600-mile region deep beneath Tonga.
Researchers directly observed the 'healing' process of an earthquake fault in California's Mojave Desert. The post-quake 'healing' restores the Earth's crust stiffness and renews resistance to rupture. The study provides insights into the faulting cycle, strain accumulation, and fluid presence controlling earthquakes.
A study of Martian meteorites suggests that Mars formed quickly and became geologically quiet, with little plate tectonics. This process allowed the planet's internal structure to remain relatively unchanged since its earliest history.
A team of geophysicists has found a partially molten granite pool beneath southwestern Tibet, which could have absorbed India's impact and lifted the plateau. The discovery uses seismic profiling techniques to detect deep earth structures and suggests that the Indian subcontinent's thrust into Asia may have created this zone.
Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery about the structure of the Earth's mantle beneath Tibet, finding that it is not horizontal but oriented in three dimensions. This new understanding could improve models of plate tectonics and provide insights into the evolution of continents.
A multinational team of researchers, led by Syracuse University's K. Douglas Nelson, has discovered a partially molten crust beneath the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau using seismic reflection and other techniques. This finding challenges traditional views of plate tectonics and may explain the flatness of the Tibetan Plateau.
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz found seismic evidence suggesting a partially molten layer in the lower mantle, which could fundamentally change our understanding of the core-mantle boundary. The suspected layer, between 5-40 kilometers thick, may conduct electricity more readily than solid rock and influence the planet's magnetic field.