Unveiling the Secrets Beneath: Scientists Discover Enigmatic ‘Sunken Worlds’ Hidden Under the Pacific Ocean

Scientists have found intriguing remnants of Earth’s ancient crust, often referred to as “sunken worlds,” deep within the mantle. This exciting discovery comes from a recent study published in Scientific Reports, highlighting a new method of mapping our planet’s interior.

These long-lost tectonic plates were hidden beneath oceans and continents. Interestingly, some of these patches are located in areas that show no signs of tectonic activity, such as beneath the western Pacific Ocean. Researchers are puzzled about how they ended up there.

The breakthrough was made possible through high-resolution modeling that uses various earthquake waves to create detailed images of the Earth’s inner layers. Thomas Schouten, a doctoral candidate from ETH Zurich, emphasized, “But we don’t know exactly what they are.”

There are some theories about these mysterious blobs. One idea is that they are remnants of crust-like material from when the mantle was formed over 4 billion years ago. Another possibility is that they consist of new, dense material that has developed in the mantle over the last few hundred million years.

However, these theories are still speculative. The true nature of these blobs remains a significant mystery, as representatives from ETH Zurich pointed out.

Traditionally, our understanding of the Earth’s interior has relied on piecing together data from various seismographs worldwide. In this study, researchers used a technique called full-waveform inversion, which combines these seismic signals into a clearer picture, revealing the hidden structures below.

This advanced method demands substantial computational power, which is why the researchers used the Piz Daint supercomputer in Switzerland. Their findings suggest that these submerged tectonic plates exist beneath large oceans and inside continents, despite the lack of geological records indicating past subduction in those areas.

Scientists believe the blobs may be related to subducted plates since seismic waves travel at similar speeds through them. However, this similarity does not confirm they are the same. More research is essential to determine their exact nature. Schouten mentioned the need to analyze the material properties that could cause the observed wave speeds, urging a deeper investigation into this fascinating mystery.

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