An international team of researchers led by the University of Leeds has discovered a new type of basalt rock formed during massive and extremely volcanic eruptions beneath the Pacific Ocean.
The rock was an unidentified basalt rock that was discovered after drilling through the Pacific Ocean floor, Phys.org reported.
Dr Ivan Savov, co-author of the study from the Leeds Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics, said their findings show that ocean floor explosions in Earth’s clothing were hotter and heavier than previously expected.
The full conclusions of the study, entitled “Basalt derived from sources of real plots during the early development of Izu-Bonin-Mariana,” were published in Nature Communication as part of the International Ocean Detection Program (IODP).
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Unmatched from previously known rocks
According to Savov, their findings confirm that there is more to be discovered deep beneath the Earth despite recent discoveries through space exploration.
Furthermore, he noted that the new basalt rock they found was completely different from the similar rocks previously known. It is completely different both chemically and mineral.
“Now that we know where and how this type of rock is formed, we expect to review many other rocks that we know were originally formed by ground blasting. and may change our broader understanding of basalt shape, “Savov said.
According to the news, the recent discovery of basalt was unknown as new examples have not been created in millions of years. As a result, basalt-like rock was buried deep beneath the sediment at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
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Finding the new rock
The search team aboard the JOIDES “Resolution” Research Vessel used drill equipment that sank to 6km of the Amami Sankaku Basin seabed, about 1,000km southwest of the Mout Fuji volcano in Japan. The team would drill 1.5km into the ocean floor to find some specimens that have never been studied by scientists.
The area is part of the Pacific ring of fire, a place for regular volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that stretch 40,000 kilometers around the Pacific Ocean and is thought to have started 50 million years ago.
According to Dr. Savov, this part of the ocean is one of the deepest waters ever considered for drilling using a research vessel designed to challenge deep-sea environments.
He said basalt is one of the most common rock types on Earth. Their research finds such a rock at the bottom of the ocean floor, especially in the Ring of Fire area, where it would have formed during volcanic eruptions.
According to SciTech Daily, the recently discovered basalt rock was so extensive that it reaches areas of the size of western Europe. It seems to have been formed in such a short period of 1-2 million years.
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Check out more Geology news and information on the Science Times.