Latest news with #Afar
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Pulsing, like a heartbeat': Rhythmic mantle plume rising beneath Ethiopia is creating a new ocean
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Rhythmic pulses of molten rock are rising beneath eastern Africa, according to a new study. The pulsing plume of hot mantle beneath Ethiopia, driven by plate tectonics, is slowly pulling the region apart and forming a new ocean near the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, researchers reported June 25 in the journal Nature Geoscience. "We have found that the evolution of deep mantle upwellings is intimately tied to the motion of the plates above," Derek Keir, an Earth scientist at the University of Southampton and the University of Florence, said in a statement. "This has profound implications for how we interpret surface volcanism, earthquake activity, and the process of continental breakup." The mantle plume lies under Ethiopia's Afar region, at the intersection of three tectonic plates. All of the rifts between these plates are different ages, and they are changing at different rates; some are in the process of forming new oceans, while others are pulling apart the crust beneath Africa. But the structure and motion of the plume, as well as the forces driving these movements, aren't well understood. To investigate the structure of the crust and the mantle plume beneath it, the scientists studied the chemical compositions of more than 130 samples of volcanic rocks from the Afar region. These samples provided information about the depth and composition of melted rock beneath the surface. The team also used computer models to determine how the region might respond to different kinds of mantle plumes and compared those responses to existing geological data. A single mantle plume lies beneath all three rifts, the researchers found, but its chemical composition is not uniform. Further, the molten rock surges upward rhythmically, leaving behind distinct chemical signatures. "The chemical striping suggests the plume is pulsing, like a heartbeat," Tom Gernon, an Earth scientist at the University of Southampton, said in the statement. "These pulses appear to behave differently depending on the thickness of the plate, and how fast it's pulling apart. In faster-spreading rifts like the Red Sea, the pulses travel more efficiently and regularly like a pulse through a narrow artery." RELATED STORIES —Study reveals 'flawed argument' in debate over when plate tectonics began —There's a 'ghost' plume lurking beneath the Middle East — and it might explain how India wound up where it is today —Africa is being torn apart by a 'superplume' of hot rock from deep within Earth, study suggests Varying spacing between the stripes in different rifts suggests that the mantle plume responds differently depending on the tectonic plates above. In places where the lithosphere — the crust and upper mantle — is thicker, the mantle flow is impeded, and the striping is more condensed. Under a thinner lithosphere, the stripes are more spread out. The findings could help scientists understand volcanic activity at the surface. "The work shows that deep mantle upwellings can flow beneath the base of tectonic plates and help to focus volcanic activity to where the tectonic plate is thinnest," Keir said in the statement. Future work in the Afar region could involve investigating the rate of mantle flow beneath the various plates, Keir added.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Something is ‘pulsing' beneath the Earth, scientists say – and it could tear a continent apart
Scientists have detected deep pulses in the Earth beneath Africa – and it could tear the continent apart. The pulses are made up of molten mantle rock surging in rhythm, the researchers say. The plume of hot mantle is surging upwards in pulses that are like a heartbeat, they say. Eventually, the continent will be torn apart and a new ocean will be formed. That will take place over millions of years, as the tectonic plates are ripped apart at rift zones like those in the Afar region in Ethiopia. That is where scientists found the evidence of the unexpected behaviour. 'We found that the mantle beneath Afar is not uniform or stationary – it pulses, and these pulses carry distinct chemical signatures,' said Emma Watson, the scientist who led the study. 'These ascending pulses of partially molten mantle are channelled by the rifting plates above. That's important for how we think about the interaction between Earth's interior and its surface.' In the research, scientists gathered samples from the Afar region, where three tectonic rifts meet. Scientists have long thought that mantle was being pushed up making the crust extend, eventually giving birth to a new ocean basin, but did not know how it was happening. To better understand that process, they took those samples and combined them with existing data and models to understand the plume beneath the surface of the Earth. They showed that there is one asymmetric plume beneath the surface. 'We have found that the evolution of deep mantle upwellings is intimately tied to the motion of the plates above. This has profound implications for how we interpret surface volcanism, earthquake activity, and the process of continental breakup,' said Derek Keir, a co-author. 'The work shows that deep mantle upwellings can flow beneath the base of tectonic plates and help to focus volcanic activity to where the tectonic plate is thinnest. Follow on research includes understanding how and at what rate mantle flow occurs beneath plates,' The work is described in a new paper, 'Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics', published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Earth Is Pulsing Beneath Africa Where The Crust Is Being Torn Apart
A deep, rhythmic pulse has been found surging like a heartbeat deep under Africa. At the Afar triple junction under Ethiopia, where three tectonic plates meet, molten magma pounds the planet's crust from below, scientists have discovered. There, the continent is slowly being torn asunder in the early formation stages of a new ocean basin. By sampling the chemical signatures of volcanoes around this region, a team led by geologist Emma Watts of Swansea University in the UK hoped to learn more about this wild process. "We found that the mantle beneath Afar is not uniform or stationary – it pulses, and these pulses carry distinct chemical signatures," says Watts, who was at the University of Southampton in the UK when the research was conducted. "These ascending pulses of partially molten mantle are channeled by the rifting plates above. That's important for how we think about the interaction between Earth's interior and its surface." Related: Our planet's surface is in a constant state of renovation. The tectonic plates into which the planetary crust is divided aren't fixed in position, but shift and collide and even slip underneath one another. The places at which they meet are usually hotspots of geological evolution, quite literally, rampant with volcanic activity that is reshaping the surface from below. The Afar junction is the point at which the Arabian, Nubian, and Somalian plates meet, each departing in their own directions to leave a widening gap under the Afar Triangle. Eventually, the crust will become so thin here that the surface will drop below sea level, creating a new ocean basin off the Red Sea. Scientists suspect that mantle upwelling is playing a role in this continental breakup process, but our understanding of how it works is limited. We can't exactly just dig down to have a close look, so Watts and her colleagues went for the next best thing: looking at material that has been disgorged onto Earth's surface from the mantle by way of volcano. They collected 130 samples of volcanic rock from around the Afar region and the Main Ethiopian Rift, and conducted chemical analyses. They used these analyses combined with existing data to conduct advanced modeling to understand what's going on with the activity under the Triangle. The results showed distinct chemical bands or stripes that repeat across the rift system, delivered by a single, asymmetrical plume of material shaped by its environment and pushing upwards from the mantle. "The chemical striping suggests the plume is pulsing, like a heartbeat," says geologist Tom Gernon of the University of Southampton in the UK. "These pulses appear to behave differently depending on the thickness of the plate, and how fast it's pulling apart. In faster-spreading rifts like the Red Sea, the pulses travel more efficiently and regularly like a pulse through a narrow artery." If the team's model is correct, it suggests that mantle plumes and upwellings can be shaped by the dynamics of the tectonic plates above them – a finding that could be used to inform future research into the activity that is continually remodeling our planet. "We have found that the evolution of deep mantle upwellings is intimately tied to the motion of the plates above. This has profound implications for how we interpret surface volcanism, earthquake activity, and the process of continental breakup," says geophysicist Derek Keir of the University of Southampton and the University of Florence in Italy. "The work shows that deep mantle upwellings can flow beneath the base of tectonic plates and help to focus volcanic activity to where the tectonic plate is thinnest. Follow-on research includes understanding how and at what rate mantle flow occurs beneath plates." The research has been published in Nature Geoscience. Strange Cellular Entity Challenges Very Definition of Life Itself Sharks Do Something Bizarre When Turned Upside Down, And We Don't Know Why Orcas' Strange Beauty Routine Revealed by Scientists For The First Time
The Independent
3 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
The deep Earth discovery that could put a new ocean where a continent is
Scientists have detected rhythmic surges of molten mantle rock, described as similar to a heartbeat, deep beneath the African continent. These upward-surging pulses of hot mantle could eventually lead to the continent tearing apart and the formation of a new ocean over millions of years. Evidence for this phenomenon was found in the Afar region of Ethiopia, a triple junction where three tectonic rifts converge. Emma Watson, lead scientist of the study published in journal Nature Geoscience, explained that the mantle beneath Afar is not static but pulses, with these ascending molten channels being guided by the overriding rifting plates. The research highlights how deep mantle upwellings are linked to plate motion, influencing surface volcanism, earthquake activity, and the process of continental breakup. Something is 'pulsing' beneath the Earth, scientists say – and could tear a continent apart
The Sun
3 days ago
- Science
- The Sun
Mysterious deep Earth ‘heartbeat' pulsing beneath Africa will form NEW ocean as it splits continent in two
A NEW ocean is forming beneath Ethiopia as a "heartbeat"-like pulse deep below the Earth's surface splits the African continent in two, according to scientists. While a new ocean will eventually give six countries a new coastline, neither you nor I will ever be able to swim in its waters. 5 5 An international research team, led by Earth scientists at the University of Southampton, have discovered rhythmic surges of molten mantle rock rising from deep within the Earth. It is bubbling up beneath Africa - and its pulses are gradually tearing the continent apart, starting in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The Afar region is a rare place on Earth where three tectonic rifts converge: the Main Ethiopian Rift, the Red Sea Rift, and the Gulf of Aden Rift. Scientists previously thought Africa's tectonic plates, which collided to form large mountains and pulled apart to create vast basins millions of years ago, were simply moving apart again. However, a study in May suggested that intense volcanic activity deep underground may be fuelling the divide. Little was known about the hot upwelling of mantle and how it behaves beneath rifting tectonic plates - until now. The latest research, published in Nature Geoscience today, revealed that the giant fiery plume pulses like a "heartbeat" and is repeatedly pushing against the tectonic plate above it. When the tectonic plate eventually ruptures from the pressure, the continent will divide and a new ocean will flood in. "We found that the mantle beneath Afar is not uniform or stationary – it pulses, and these pulses carry distinct chemical signatures," lead author Dr Emma Watts, who conducted the research at the University of Southampton, said in a statement. Watts, who is now based at Swansea University, added: "These ascending pulses of partially molten mantle are channelled by the rifting plates above. Shocking moment 1,000ft fiery lava jet erupts in 6-hour volcano frenzy as scientists warn of wind spreading toxic gas "That's important for how we think about the interaction between Earth's interior and its surface." The team collected over 130 volcanic rock samples from across the Afar region and the Main Ethiopian Rift to piece together the structure of the deep Earth that is splitting. These pulses appear to behave differently depending on the thickness of the plate, and how fast it's pulling apart. Professor Tom Gernon, a co-author of the study Researchers found that the pattern of the rhythmic pulse is dictated by the tectonic plate it bubbles beneath - such as how the plate moves, or how thick it is. Professor Tom Gernon, a co-author of the study, said: "The chemical striping suggests the plume is pulsing, like a heartbeat. "These pulses appear to behave differently depending on the thickness of the plate, and how fast it's pulling apart. "In faster-spreading rifts like the Red Sea, the pulses travel more efficiently and regularly like a pulse through a narrow artery." 5 Associate professor Dr Derek Keir, another co-author of the study, said the findings had "profound implications" for how scientists understand volcanoes, earthquake activity, and the process of continental breakup. 'The work shows that deep mantle upwellings can flow beneath the base of tectonic plates and help to focus volcanic activity to where the tectonic plate is thinnest," he added. The East African Rift System (EARS) is the largest active continental rift system on Earth. It is in the process of ripping through around 2,175miles (3,500km) of Africa. In January, Ken Macdonald, a professor at the University of California, warned the continent was splitting at a faster rate than expected. Somalia and parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania will form a distinct continent, accompanied by a fresh coastline. The new ocean could become as deep as the Atlantic if waters continue to flow into the area, Macdonald added. While cracks are already appearing along the rift, it is not expected to fully rupture for another several million years. 5 5
