A team of geologists identified a curious phenomenon in Africa: a type of “heartbeat” from the interior of the Earth. The study, published on Wednesday (25) in the magazine Nature Gethescienceanalyzed the chemical composition of volcanic rocks in Ethiopia and revealed variations that indicate rhythmic pulses in the call cloak From the Afar region, a huge hot rock column that rises from the depths of the planet.
These pulses help explain why Afar is one of the world’s most active areas in terms of terrestrial crusting. The movement of the plume is gradually fragmenting the African continent and forming a new ocean. This type of feather usually appears under the sea, as in Hawaiibut AFAR’s is special because it crosses the continental crust, which is thicker.
In a nutshell:
- Geologists discovered “heartbeat” inside the Earth under the region of AFAR, Ethiopia;
- The plume of the cloak rises with rhythmic pulses, gradually fragmenting the African continent;
- Chemical analyzes of rocks revealed periodic variations, indicating a heterogeneous and pulsating cloak;
- These pulses channel magma by tectonic cracks, influencing volcanoes, earthquakes and continental separation;
- Similar phenomenon occurs in other regions of the planet;
- Next studies will investigate speed and impact of these flows.
The functioning of the cloak feathers occurs when extremely hot material rises from great depths of the earth, sometimes from the border with the core. When they reach the surface, these feathers can cause intense volcanic activity. In the case of AFAR, this activity has a direct connection with the emergence of three major tectonic slits that intersect in the region.
Africa’s “heartbeat” is different from other points on the globe
To understand how this happens, the team led by geologist Emma Watts of the University of Southampton in England analyzed 130 samples of recent eruption rocks, under 2.6 million years old. The samples were compared to older rocks in the region. The goal was to detect chemical variations over time.
The results showed that the composition of these rocks changes rhythmicly, as if the inside of the earth had its own pulse. As Watts explains in a communicationthe cloak under Afar is neither uniform nor static. It pulsates, and each of these wrists brings a different chemical signature, indicating variations in conditions within the earth over millions of years.
“These ascending pulses of the partially melted cloak are channeled by the plates in rifters above,” reveals Watts. “This is important to the way we think about the interaction between the earth and its surface.”
Professor Tom Gernon, co -author of the study, compared the phenomenon to the flow of blood in an artery. He explained that in areas where tectonic plates move faster, as in Red Seathe pulses of the cloak travel more efficiently and regularly, like an accelerated beat.
Read more:
Phenomenon affects volcanoes, earthquakes and continents
According to the researchers, these pulsations are the result of differences in the composition of the deep cloak. These differences arise from the recycling of material by the tectonics of plates and areas that remain unchanged from the formation of the earth. Each pulse carries materials with different properties.
The study also revealed that the flow of the cloak can move laterally under the tectonic plates, concentrating volcanic activity in the regions where the earth’s crust is thinner. According to geologist Derek Keir, another team member, also from Southampton, this directly influences volcano formation, earthquake and the separation process of continents.
Although observed pulses are specific to the afar feather, similar phenomena have already been detected in other regions of the globe, such as the Canary Islands in Spain. However, in places like Hawaii, chemical variations occur more in space than in time. The next step of the research will be to better understand the speed of these flows and how they affect the earth’s surface.
