A discovery that challenges our very understanding of Earth’s structure has been…well, unearthed. Scientists have found two massive mountains lurking deep beneath our planet’s surface. These behemoths reach heights of approximately 1,000 kilometers, more than 100 times taller than Mount Everest. Located between Earth’s core and mantle, one of these massive structures sits beneath Africa, while the other rests under the Pacific Ocean.
The Detective Work Behind the Discovery
Identifying these underground mountains wasn’t easy. Dr. Arwen Deuss, head researcher and seismologist at Utrecht University, explains how their team utilized seismic waves to map these structures. “We see that seismic waves slow down there,” notes Dr. Deuss. Similar to a doctor taking an X-ray, scientists listen to the planet’s “ringing” during large earthquakes, which sounds “out of tune” when waves encounter these structures.
A Half-Billion-Year Mystery
These mountains might be among Earth’s oldest features, potentially dating back to our planet’s formation four billion years ago. “Nobody knows what they are, and whether they are only a temporary phenomenon, or if they have been sitting there for millions or perhaps even billions of years,” Dr. Deuss acknowledges. The structures’ are made up of a unique mineral grain, one much larger than their surroundings, which would suggest they are ancient in origin.
A Graveyard of Tectonic Plates
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These mountains are surrounded by a “graveyard of tectonic plates” according to scientists. Tectonic plate dives beneath another in an event called subduction, and sunk nearly three thousand kilometers down. By contrast, when two tectonic plates get pushed up against each other, we get mountains like Everest on the planet’s surface. The discovery of these mountains has actually added to our understanding of plate tectonics and Earth’s internal dynamics.
Unexpected Heat Signatures
When the research team came across these interesting findings, called Large Low Seismic Velocity Provinces (LLSVP), they were using seismic wave damping. “Against our expectations, we found little damping in the LLSVPs, which made the tones sound very loud there,” explains Sujania Talavera-Soza. The structures have a higher temperature reading than the tectonic plates around them, but show a very different type of energy absorption by comparison. The details aren’t in yet, but they have scientists very excited.
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Earth’s Dynamic Interior
Just as Earth’s surface has highs and lows like Everest and the Grand Cayon, so does its interior. At 3,959 miles around, our planet has multiple layers, including the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. These mountains exist the region where the Earth’s mantle meets the core, which shows that Earth’s internal structure is more complex than previously thought.
Contexts Within Earth’s History
This discovery joins other new revelations about our planet. For instance, researchers recently found an ancient seafloor slab dating back 250 million years, trapped somewhere between 410 to 660 kilometers below Earth’s surface. Speaking of the sea floor, dark oxygen (oxygen made without sunlight) was recently discovered on the ocean floor too. These findings continue to reshape our understanding of Earth’s evolution and internal composition.
Implications for Future Research
These underground mountains represent a significant step forward in understanding Earth’s deep structures. Yes they’re much larger than Mount Everest, but their discovery also raises questions about how our planet’s came together, its internal dynamics, and the mechanisms that shaped Earth over the few last billion years. As technology advances, scientists expect to uncover more secrets hidden within our planet’s depths.
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