Mysterious earthquakes could be caused by ancient tectonic plates in Earth’s mantel
Scientists believe that an extra layer of ancient tectonic plates are causing the mysterious earthquakes that were registered in the Pacific.
A series of mysterious earthquakes registered in the Pacific have puzzled scientists since present theories didn’t seem to offer any explanation to why the earth was shaking only in that particular region. But researchers from the University of Houston and Utah say that an extra layer of ancient plates, situated somewhere in the transitional zone of the Earth’s mantel, could actually explain the movement registered by the seismographs.
Until now, scientists believed that deep earthquakes under the Fiji Basin were a globally-unique case of seismicity within a foundered and detached slab. But after looking at a new 3D slab map, researchers think they’ve found new tectonic plates which subducted into the mantle millions of years ago.
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These slabs, which should have sunk towards the planet’s core, have been stuck in the transition zone of the mantel and are moving horizontally, almost as fast as those above them. And the occurring brakes or bends in these slabs could be causing the deep shakes, commonly known as the Vityaz earthquakes.
The transition zone is part of the Earth’s mantle, and is located between the lower mantle and the upper mantle, between a depth of 410 and 660 km.
The 3D mapping used by scientists allowed them to paint a picture of the Earth’s interior and correlate the detached slab to the the Vityaz earthquakes. It can also show how our planet looked like millions of years ago.
The scientists presented their findings at the Japan Geoscience Union and the American Geophysical Union conference in Tokyo.
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