Scientists were able to make a scientific breakthrough in the field of Earth’s layers, after discovering a previously unknown layer of molten rock located at a depth of 160 kilometers below the Earth’s surface, covering 44 percent of the total surface of the planet.
This newly discovered layer is part of the asthenosphere (upper mantle), which is known to be the densest and weakest layer of the Earth, and helps to make seismic waves move slowly, and it is located in a region that witnesses the highest temperatures of the upper mantle, which is 1450 degrees Celsius, reports Al-Rai daily.
The new discovery demolishes long-held theories that molten rock affects the viscosity of the asthenosphere.
“When we think of something molten, we intuitively think that fusion plays a role in the viscosity of the material,” University of Texas researcher Julian Hua said in a statement.
“But what we found is that even if the melt is very high, its effect on mantle flow is very small,” he added.
Previous theories say that the movement of tectonic plates is caused by convection currents in the molten rocks in the Earth’s mantle below the planet’s crust.
He is a postdoctoral researcher at the Jackson Institute for Geosciences at the University of Texas, and has studied seismic images of the upper mantle below Turkish soil.
During this study, he discovered signs of partially molten rock.
In the past, scientists had observed the existence of this layer, but Hua and his colleagues found evidence of its existence on a large scale.
The American network “CNN” stated that the new discovery can help scientists learn more about the movement of plates, which not only contribute to causing earthquakes and forming mountains, but also play a greater role in shaping the environment by providing the physical and chemical conditions to support life on the planet.
The researchers at the University of Texas confirmed that the upper mantle layer consists of solid and molten rocks, and despite the non-solid nature of the latter, it contributes to the movement of the plates or makes them easier to move.
Hua emphasized that the biggest challenge facing the study of the Earth’s inner layers is the difficulty of collecting data from such abysmal depths.
Therefore, the waves generated by earthquakes were relied upon to study these layers, just like CT images in hospitals, according to the study’s lead researcher.
More than 700 images taken from earthquake detectors were collected, and based on them a map of the upper mantle was drawn.
During the analysis, the researchers monitored the movement of seismic waves through several areas under the earth’s crust, and there were changes in speed, direction, and arrival time to the detection sites, according to Sky News Arabia.