Earth's hidden engine: Ghost plume found beneath Oman may explain India's drift

India Today

18-06-2025

In what could first-of-its-kind discovery, researchers have found a ghost plume slowly under Oman, rising quietly for centuries.These plumes are columns of very hot rock that rise from deep inside the Earth, starting near the boundary between the core and the mantle, about 2,890 kilometres down.Mantle plumes are responsible for many of the volcanic tracks that extend across Earth's surface. They play a fundamental role in the evolution of our planet through:The interplay between mantle convection, plate tectonics and surface processesThe initiation of seafloor spreading and early Earth subductionGlobal mass extinction eventsSetting the genesis of large nickel, platinum and diamond depositsadvertisementAs these plumes move upward and reach the Earth's outer layer (the lithosphere), the pressure drops and causes melting, which leads to volcanoes on the surface.However, in the case of the newly discovered plume, it hasn't led to any surface movements so far.In a new study, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, researchers detail the first clear example of a "ghost" plume — one that exists but doesn't cause surface volcanoes—under eastern Oman.They call it the Dani plume. Even though there are no signs of volcanic activity above it today, the plume was detected using earthquake data from a dense network of sensors in the region. They also found evidence of heat deep underground by studying changes in specific layers of the Earth's interior.Researchers noted that the area above the plume has been rising slowly since about 40 million years ago, even though it shows no signs of volcanic activity.advertisementBy analysing how Earth's plates moved in the past, the researchers concluded that the Dani plume likely arrived during the late Eocene period and even influenced how the Indian plate moved.The Indian Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and parts of Afghanistan, as well as parts of the Indian Ocean floor.This discovery not only shows how we can find hidden plumes beneath continents but also suggests that the Earth's deep heat flow may be stronger than scientists previously thought.This could change our understanding of how Earth's interior and core have evolved over time.