Scientists believe that the Atlantic Ocean expands several centimeters each year while the Pacific Ocean shrinks at glacial speeds.
While the scientific community knows that the movement is the result of the movement of tectonic plates, it is far from fully understanding the geophysical forces behind the miracle, Science Alert reports.
To try and get to know the subject, a team from the University of Southampton sent a fleet of submarine robots to record seismic movements under the sea. Atlantic Ridge. Their findings were published in Nature.
In their study, the scientists believe that the dynamics of the Atlantic ridge – the border that separates America from Europe and Africa tectonically – play an important role in the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean.
“Sinking slabs and rising plugs are generally regarded as moving areas, but mid-ocean ridges are not generally accepted,” said the expert-led team. expert Matthew Agius from the University of Southampton in the UK explains in the new paper.
“However, strict restrictions from in situ dimensions at ridges have been challenging, “he continues.
‘Moving materials’ from the mantle above
Seismic records from the fleet of submarine robots, called seismometers, which monitor the flow of material in the movement zone of the lawn between the upper and lower furnaces.
This allowed the team to plan the movement of materials at depths of up to 660 kilometers (410 miles) below the surface.
The data reveals that chemical matter from the lower reaches is rising, something previously thought only in the shallow depths of the Atlantic Ridge.
“The observations involve the movement of materials from the lowest level to the highest healthy – either continuous or punctuated – associated with the Atlantic Ridge,” the researchers explain.
“Given the length and length of the mid-ocean ridge system, this means that full-length convection may be more common than previously thought,” they continue.
The new findings show that the processes that contribute to the dispersal of the seabed extend far deeper into the Earth than previously recorded. The phenomenon could occur even in areas of the seabed that are not marked by areas of plateau removal, the researchers say.
“[The work] contradicts long-held speculation that mid-ocean ridges may play a passive role in plate tectonics, “ senior researcher and geologist Mike Kendall from Oxford University explains in a press release.
“It suggests that, in places like the Mid-Atlantic, backbone forces play an important role in driving apart newly created plates,” he continues.
Basically, the researchers say that an increase in material from depths beneath the Earth’s crust may account for the slow expansion of the Atlantic Ocean. Their study helps us better understand tectonic plates, which are responsible for earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.