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Scientists have found that, contrary to popular wisdom, the mid-ocean mountain ranges under the Atlantic Ocean appear to play a much larger role in the shape of the Earth and literally separate the United States and the Europe.
The precise mechanism behind the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates has long eluded scientists, but this latest research from the University of Southampton could lead to major shifts in thinking about climate change research and response.
The new study suggests that the Mid-Ocean Ranges (MARs), the line of mountains that emerge along the seabed marking the boundary between these vast tectonic plates, may play a much larger role than previously thought, expanding the Atlantic Ocean by a few inches each year while simultaneously shrinking the Pacific Ocean.
The researchers deployed a fleet of 39 seismometers at the bottom of the Atlantic, covering 1,000 km (620 miles) and monitored seismic activity around the world for a period of one year. During this period of research, they monitored the flow or transfer of matter between the upper and lower mantle beneath the earth’s crust.
Using state-of-the-art techniques, they have successfully imaged the transfer of matter at depths as deep as 660 kilometers (410 miles) below the surface, the first large-scale, high-resolution imagery of the Earth’s mantle in this region. .
“The observations involve a transfer of matter from the lower mantle to the upper mantle – whether continuous or punctuated – which is linked to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,” the researchers explain, adding that convection currents throughout the entire mantle may be more widespread and greater than previously thought.
In other words, mid-ocean ranges play an active, not a passive, role in the plate tectonics that literally shapes our world, but at a rate of about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) per year.
When tectonic plates collide, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions can ensue, highlighting the issues at stake in this particular area of research.
“There is an increasing distance between North America and Europe, and it is not motivated by political or philosophical differences”, said co-author Dr Nick Harmon, also from the University of Southampton.
Further research in this area and the collection of additional data will lead to better models and warning systems in the event of natural disasters, and to better inform climate change models measuring sea level rise, which will lead to potentially major revisions of public policies on both sides of the planet. -Expanding Atlantic.
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