Strange, never-before-seen movements in the East Africa Rift Valley appear to be driven by super-heated rock from deep beneath Earth's surface.
A giant plume of super-heated rock rising up from near Earth's core could help explain mysterious distortions linked with a giant tear in the planet's surface that appears to be splitting Africa in two, a recent study finds.
Study co-author D. Sarah Stamps, a geophysicist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, likens these responses to Silly Putty — if you hit Silly Putty with a hammer, it can crack and break, but if you slowly pull it apart, it stretches. Over different time scales, Earth's lithosphere can also behave in different ways.
"This work suggests plumes may play an active role in deforming the Earth’s surface, particularly in continental rifts where the lithosphere has thinned," Stamps said. The scientists used GPS technology to monitor surface motions at the East African Rift with millimeter precision. They also used seismic instruments to analyze the directions in which mantle rock slowly flowed over a broad area.
RELATED STORIES—Scientists find weird holes on the ocean floor spewing ancient fluids 'like a fire hose'—Earth spent 500 million years creating and eating dead continents
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Renée Kohlman: A nice light snack for those hot summer daysCrepes are always a treat to make. Here, the batter can be prepared ahead of time, and so can the crepes. And, you don’t need a fancy crepe pan to make gorgeous crepes. Any non-stick skillet will do.
Read more »
A Strange, Donut-Shaped Rock Has Been Identified on MarsThe pareidolia crowd is sure to have a field day with this! Once again, an oddly-shaped rock has been spotted on Mars.
Read more »
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 E04 Images, Overview ReleasedHere's a look at the preview images and overview for ParamountPlus' StarTrek: StrangeNewWorlds Season 2 Episode 4: 'Among the Lotus Eaters.' / STSNW AnsonMount RebeccaRomijn EthanPeck
Read more »
Strange dog in video from Fresno home was missing K-9 officerA woman checking up on her own dog saw her pet had a companion.
Read more »
Picsart's New AI GIF Generator Can Produce Some Very Weird ResultsPicsart's new AI-powered GIF generator produces some... weird results.
Read more »
‘Strange New Worlds’ Season 2 Reminds Us Time Travel and Romance Don’t MixIs it better to have loved and lost?
Read more »