Sunken world that should not exist discovered in the Pacific Ocean

Traditionally, scientists have relied on seismic waves generated by earthquakes to infer the structure of the Earth.

In Short

• The team utilised advanced seismic imaging techniques to uncover these anomalies
• Geophysicists analyze how seismic waves propagate through different materials
• These waves can be refracted, reflected, or diffracted

Geophysicists have made a groundbreaking discovery regarding the Earth's interior, revealing unexpected remnants of submerged tectonic plates in locations far from traditional plate boundaries.

This research, led by a team from ETH Zurich and the California Institute of Technology, utilised advanced seismic imaging techniques to uncover these anomalies, which were detailed in a recent publication in Scientific Reports.

Traditionally, scientists have relied on seismic waves generated by earthquakes to infer the structure of the Earth.

Similar to how doctors use ultrasound to visualise internal organs, geophysicists analyse how seismic waves propagate through different materials.

These waves can be refracted, reflected, or diffracted based on the density and elasticity of the materials they encounter. By examining these wave patterns, researchers can draw conclusions about the Earth's internal composition and processes.

The team's innovative approach involved full-waveform inversion, which analyzes all types of seismic waves rather than just one.

This method requires significant computational resources, prompting the use of the Piz Daint supercomputer in Switzerland. The results indicated that areas resembling submerged tectonic plates exist under large oceans and within continental interiors—locations where no geological evidence of past subduction has been found.

One notable discovery was beneath the western Pacific Ocean, where current tectonic theories suggest there should be no remnants of subducted plates. Thomas Schouten, a doctoral student involved in the research, expressed astonishment at the widespread nature of these findings.

“Apparently, such zones in the Earth's mantle are much more widespread than previously thought,” he noted.

The implications of these findings are profound. They challenge existing models of plate tectonics and suggest that ancient materials may persist in the mantle long after subduction events have ceased.

As researchers continue to investigate these anomalies, they hope to gain deeper insights into the dynamics of Earth’s interior and its impact on surface processes.