Latest news with #TomGernon
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Science
- The Irish 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 The East African Rift System drives volcanic activity in places like the Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia Credit: Getty 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. READ MORE ON EARTH SCIENCE However, a in May suggested that intense volcanic activity deep underground 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. Most read in Science "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 Women work on their farm near a chasm suspected to have been caused by a heavy downpour along an underground fault-line near the Rift Valley town of Mai Mahiu, Kenya in 2018 Credit: Reuters / Thomas Mukoya 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 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 A deep chasm next to a repaired section of road that had been washed away during a heavy downpour at Maai-Mahiu in 2018, around 54km southwest of Nairobi capital, Kenya Credit: Getty - Contributor 5 Damage caused by the rift at an intersection in Maai Mahiu-Narok, Kenya Credit: Nation
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Magma 'Heartbeat' Is Tearing Continent Apart, Geologists Discover
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A plume of molten rock rising from the depths of the Earth in heartbeat-like pulses is slowly tearing Africa apart—and will one day create a new ocean. This is the conclusion of an international team of researchers who have been studying the crust and mantle beneath the Afar region of Ethiopia. Afar is one of those rare places on Earth where three tectonic rifts meet—specifically, the Ethiopian, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Rifts. As tectonic plates are pulled apart at such rift zones, they stretch out and thin until they break, forming a new ocean basin over the course of millions of years. Geologists have long suspected that Afar is underlain by a mantle plume, a pillar of upwelling hot material that is helping to drive apart the overlying crust. Until now, however, little was known about the structure of this plume, or how such phenomena behave under rifting plates. "We found that the mantle beneath Afar is not uniform or stationary—it pulses—and these pulses carry distinct chemical signatures," said lead author and geologist Emma Watts, who undertook the research while based at the University of Southampton, in a statement. "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." Lava erupting from the Erta Ale volcano in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Lava erupting from the Erta Ale volcano in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Dr Derek Keir, University of Southampton/ University of Florence In their study, the researchers collected more than 130 samples of volcanic rock from across both the Afar region and the Main Ethiopian Rift. They combined their analysis of these samples with existing data and statistical modeling to explore the structure of Earth's crust and mantle beneath Afar. The team found that the mantle plume underneath the Afar region has distinct chemical bands that repeat across the rift system. This forms a sort of geological barcode, the spacings of which vary depending on the specific conditions in each arm of the rift. "The chemical striping suggests the plume is pulsing, like a heartbeat," said paper co-author and Southampton Earth Science professor Tom Gernon in a 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." The team's findings reveal that the mantle plume beneath Afar is not a static phenomenon, but one that responds dynamically to the tectonic plate above it. Professor Tom Gernon studies volcanic deposits from Boset Volcano in the Main Ethiopian Rift. Professor Tom Gernon studies volcanic deposits from Boset Volcano in the Main Ethiopian Rift. Prof Thomas Gernon, University of Southampton "We have found that the evolution of deep mantle upwellings is intimately tied to the motion of the plates above," said paper co-author and Southampton geophysicist Derek Keir in a statement. "This has profound implications for how we interpret surface volcanism, 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." With their initial study complete, the researchers are now moving to investigate how—and how fast—the mantle is flowing beneath the overlying tectonic plates. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about geology? Let us know via science@ Reference Watts, E. J., Rees, R., Jonathan, P., Keir, D., Taylor, R. N., Siegburg, M., Chambers, E. L., Pagli, C., Cooper, M. J., Michalik, A., Milton, J. A., Hincks, T. K., Gebru, E. F., Ayele, A., Abebe, B., & Gernon, T. M. (2025). Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics. Nature Geoscience.
Mint
23-04-2025
- Science
- Mint
Another win for geology's Theory of Everything
Plate tectonics is geology's Theory of Everything. The realisation in the 1960s that Earth's crust is made of fragments called plates—and that these plates can grow, shrink and move around—explained the origins of mountain ranges, ocean trenches, volcanoes and earthquakes. It also explained why continents drift over the planet's surface and thus, from time to time, come together to form an all-embracing supercontinent. Mountain ranges, ocean trenches, volcanoes and earthquakes are, however, things that happen mainly where plates abut. Plate tectonics is not as good at explaining events and features elsewhere, particularly in continental interiors. These are often dominated by extensive highlands called plateaux, which differ in form from mountain ranges and are frequently bounded by giant escarpments. But, as he told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Tom Gernon of Southampton University thinks he can bring these puzzling geographical features into the ambit of plate tectonics as well. His team's calculations suggest they are caused by waves that ripple through Earth's mantle, the layer below the crust, when continents divide. They may even be responsible for some of the 'mini" mass extinctions which punctuate the fossil record. His work began with a different, more eye-catching question: explaining how diamonds are propelled to the surface. Diamonds are crystals of carbon compressed into that form by the high pressure found in the upper mantle. Those discovered at the surface have been carried there by unusual, explosive volcanoes called kimberlite pipes, which traverse the crust from bottom to top, erupting at ground level. Dr Gernon and his colleagues proposed that the rifting of continental plates sets in motion a slow-moving wave through the semi-liquid rock of the mantle. (Really slow-moving: they estimate it travels at about 15-20km per million years.) This wave of hot rock ablates the bottom of the crust, forming gas-charged magmas that erupt violently as kimberlite pipes. They then followed up this work by asking what other consequences their newly discovered waves might have. The answers, when they ran their model on a computer, were giant escarpments with plateaux behind them. These features were formed by a process known as isostatic rebound, in which the travelling wave removed the crust's underside, causing the rock above to rise, rather as a balloon rises when its crew jettison ballast. All this rapidly emerging highland will, though, be subject to immediate erosion. And that is where the extinctions come in. Really big extinctions, such as those at the end of the Permian and Cretaceous periods, have big, sudden causes (huge volcanic eruptions and collision with an asteroid respectively). But these are interspersed by numerous smaller catastrophes that particularly affect the oceans, and are associated with reduced levels of oxygen. This reduction of oxygen seems to happen because organic matter is being created in greater than normal quantities, and then decomposing, sucking that element out of the water. Dr Gernon thinks this is a result of pulses of erosion caused by plateau uplift fertilising the oceans with phosphorus. That causes life to bloom, increasing the amount of organic matter available for decomposition. He argues, in particular, that the pattern of these mini mass extinctions during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods supports his hypothesis. It all, then, fits very nicely together. Geology's Theory of Everything continues successfully to defend its title. © 2025, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Crushed Rocks in Iceland—and May Have Solved the Fall of the Roman Empire
A research team studied unusual rocks in Iceland to better understand the Late Antique Little Ice Age. The team believes that rapid climate cooling contributed to a mass migration of people within Europe. The information comes from tiny zircon crystals found inside the rocks. Unusual small stones on a beach in Iceland may help tell the story of the Roman Empire's demise. A team of researchers from three different continents studied local cobbles—round stones about the size of a human fist—and the mineral clues embedded within them to better understand a dramatic climate event from the sixth century A.D. that coincided with the undoing of one of the world's greatest dynasties. 'When it comes to the fall of the Roman Empire, this climate shift may have been the straw that broke the camel's back,' Tom Gernon, professor of Earth science at the University of Southampton, said in a statement. Historians have long debated the role of rapid cooling as part of the fall of the Roman Empire, but the new rock-based research strengthens the case that a brief (but intense) period of cooling may have hampered an already declining empire and incited a mass population migration that reshaped Europe. The team behind this research published a study describing their findings in the journal Geology. The timing of what is known as the Late Antique Little Ice Age has always intrigued historians studying the ties between the climate and European history. Three massive volcanic eruptions around 540 A.D. likely triggered the brief but impactful climate shift, as volcanic ash blocked sunlight and lowered global temperature for around 200 to 300 years. So, where do these rocks come in? Well, the scientists believe the rocks were carried to Iceland via icebergs formed during the glaciation event, and can now help show the chaotic nature of the climate during that period of history. 'We knew these rocks seemed somewhat out of place because the rock types are unlike anything found in Iceland today,' Christopher Spencer, lead author of the research, said in a statement. The team crushed the rocks in question to analyze the age and composition of zircon crystals locked inside, which helped pinpoint their source. 'Zircons are essentially time capsules that preserve vital information including when they crystalized as well as their compositional characteristics,' Spencer said. 'The combination of age and chemical composition allows us to fingerprint currently exposed regions of the Earth's surface, much like is done in forensics.' The team linked the debris to specific regions in Greenland. 'This is the first direct evidence of icebergs carrying large Greenlandic cobbles to Iceland,' Spencer said. 'On one hand, you're surprised to see anything but basalt in Iceland, but having seem them for the first time, you instantly suspect they arrived by iceberg from Greenland,' Ross Mitchell, a co-author of the study, said in a statement. 'The fact that the rocks come from nearly all geological regions of Greenland provides evidence of their glacial origins,' Gernon said. 'As glaciers move, they erode the landscape, breaking up rocks from different areas and carrying them along, creating a chaotic and diverse mixture—some of which ends up stuck inside the ice.' The team determined the ice-rafted rocks were likely dropped in Iceland in the seventh century, coinciding with a major climate shift known as the Bond 1 event. 'This timing coincides with a known major episode of ice-rafting, where vast chunks of ice break away from glaciers, drift across the ocean, and eventually melt, scattering debris along distant shore,' Gernon said. The 'climate-driven iceberg activity may have been one of the many cascading effects of rapid cooling,' Spencer said, alongside the mass human migrations that spread the population of Europe across the continent, helping to weaken—and eventually extinguish—the Roman Empire. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Telegraph
08-04-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Mini Ice Age may have fuelled collapse of Roman Empire
A 'Little Ice Age' in the sixth century was so intense it may have been the 'primary driver' in the fall of the Roman Empire, scientists believe. Between 536AD and 547AD, three massive volcanic eruptions blocked out the Sun and ushered in a rapid period of cooling which saw average temperatures fall by several degrees. Researchers at the University of Southampton have found that the mini Ice Age was so intense that it moved rocks from Greenland to Iceland. The scientists found smooth rounded rocks known as 'cobbles' on the beaches of Iceland's west coast which must have been carried on icebergs from Greenland. It suggests that the cooling event sparked changes even more widespread and severe than previously thought, causing major climate upheavals in the northern hemisphere that probably played a pivotal role in the collapse of the Roman Empire. 'When it comes to the fall of the Roman Empire, this climate shift may have been the straw that broke the camel's back,' said Prof Tom Gernon, co-author of the new research and an earth science professor at the University of Southampton. 'The climate was particularly cold at the time – cold enough for icebergs to reach and noticeably impact the geology in Iceland,' Prof Gernon added. 'The Roman Empire was likely already in decline when the Little Ice Age began. However, our findings support the idea that climate change in the northern hemisphere was more severe than previously thought. 'Indeed, it may have been a primary driver of major societal change, rather than just one of several contributing factors.' The period of cooling, dubbed the Late Antique Little Ice Age, lasted around 200 to 300 years. It is known to have coincided with a period of widespread social unrest across Europe and Asia, which saw the Roman empire giving way to the Byzantine era. By that time, the Roman empire had shrunk to the Mediterranean and continued to decline because crop failures induced by the cold, famine and plague. As well as the Romans, the huge climate shift also saw Chinese dynasties falling as well as the Eastern Turkic empire. The new findings, published in the journal Geology, show that the climate disruption reached far into the North Atlantic Ocean. Experts had known that the beach rocks on Iceland's west coast did not belong there but were unsure where they had come from until they studied their age and composition. The team found that the rocks came from Greenland by analysing the age and composition of tiny zircon crystals. Zircon is one of the primary minerals used to determine the age of rocks. 'We knew these rocks seemed somewhat out of place because the rock types are unlike anything found in Iceland today, but we didn't know where they came from,' said Dr Christopher Spencer, associate professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and lead author of the research. 'Zircons are essentially time capsules that preserve vital information including when they crystallised as well as their compositional characteristics. 'The combination of age and chemical composition allows us to fingerprint currently exposed regions of the Earth's surface, much like is done in forensics.' The team discovered that the age of the fragments spanned nearly 3 billion years, and were able to trace the rocks back to specific regions of Greenland. 'This is the first direct evidence of icebergs carrying large Greenlandic cobbles to Iceland,' added Dr Spencer. The rocks were once carved out of the landscape by glaciers on Greenland and would have become embedded in ice which was eventually set adrift as icebergs. The ice-rafted rocks were likely deposited during the seventh century, coinciding with a major climate shift when temperatures warmed and the ground slowly rebounded after the heavy ice sheets melted. Prof Gernon added: 'This timing coincides with a known major episode of ice-rafting, where vast chunks of ice break away from glaciers, drift across the ocean, and eventually melt, scattering debris along distant shores.'
