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Researchers Discover Rhythmic Pulses of Melted Rock Beneath Ethiopia That May Cause the Fragmentation of the African Continent and Create a New Ocean.
Scientists from the University of Southampton in the UK announced a surprising discovery about the Earth’s mantle. According to the new study, rhythmic pulses of melted rock are rising from the depths of the planet beneath the Afar region in Ethiopia.
This movement in the Earth’s mantle resembles heartbeats and may, over millions of years, cause the fragmentation of the African continent and the formation of a new ocean.
Region Where Plates Meet in the Earth’s Mantle
The research focused on the Afar region, a unique point on the planet where three tectonic plates meet: the Main Ethiopian Rift, the Red Sea Rift, and the Gulf of Aden Rift.
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These rift zones are places where the Earth’s crust is separating. Over time, this separation may create space for the birth of a new ocean basin.
What makes Afar even more special is the fact that it is one of the few places in the world where scientists can directly observe this geological process at the surface.
The researchers already suspected the presence of a hot mantle plume beneath the region, pushing the crust upwards. But now, for the first time, it was possible to understand in more detail how this plume behaves.
A Pulsing Mantle
The international team of geologists and geophysicists analyzed more than 130 samples of volcanic rock collected from the Afar and Main regions in the Ethiopian Rift.
With these data, combined with existing geochemical records and statistical models, the scientists were able to construct a new view of the Earth’s mantle beneath Africa.
The study revealed that the mantle plume located beneath Afar is not static. It pulses, like a heart. These pulses carry specific chemical signatures, appearing in repeated bands in the analyzed rocks. This “chemical stratification,” compared to barcodes, shows that the pulses vary according to the geological conditions of each tectonic rift.
According to Dr. Emma Watts, the lead author of the study, “the mantle beneath Afar is neither uniform nor stationary – it pulses, and these pulses carry distinct chemical signatures. These upward pulses are channeled by the rifting plates above, which changes how we think about the relationship between the Earth’s interior and its surface.”
Pulse with Different Behavior
Professor Tom Gernon, also from the University of Southampton, explained that the pulses behave differently depending on the thickness of the plate and the speed at which it is separating. “In faster-expanding rifts, like in the Red Sea, the pulses travel more efficiently and regularly, like a pulse through a narrow artery,” he stated.
This pattern helps scientists understand how energy from the deep interior of the planet can directly affect the Earth’s crust. This type of interaction between the mantle and the surface is essential for understanding earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the separation of continents.
Impacts on Surface Activity
For Dr. Derek Keir, co-author of the study, the results show that the movement of the mantle is directly linked to the tectonic plates above. “The evolution of deep mantle upwellings is closely tied to the movement of the plates above,” he said.
According to him, this helps explain why volcanic activity is concentrated in specific regions, especially where the crust is thinner.
Keir also emphasized that the mantle upwellings can flow beneath the base of the plates and intensify volcanic activity in certain areas. The next step in the research will be to understand the speed at which this flow occurs.
International Collaboration
The study involved geologists and geophysicists from ten institutions with diverse specialties. For Dr. Emma Watts, this collaboration was essential. “Working with researchers from different fields and institutions is crucial to understanding the processes beneath the Earth’s surface. Without it, it would be like putting together a puzzle without all the pieces.”
The study was recently published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
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