Unique treasure of 321 coins found in England (photo)

Scientists have discovered mysterious "sunken worlds" in the Earth's mantle under the Pacific Ocean. These are probably places where ancient tectonic plates that once sank beneath the surface ended up.

The study was conducted by a team from the Geological Institute of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich led by doctoral student Thomas Schouten in collaboration with experts from the California Institute of Technology. The results were published in the journal Scientific Reports. Scientists have discovered additional regions in the Earth's interior that resemble the remains of sunken plates. This is reported by Earth.

Seismic records helped scientists determine the location of submerged tectonic plates in the mantle. They are usually found in subduction zones, where one plate sinks under another. However, the study revealed an oddity: the plates are located in atypical places, such as under large oceans or inside continents.

One such anomaly was found under the western Pacific Ocean. Scientists note that according to modern models of plate tectonics, the ancient fragments should not be in this region.

"It is obvious that these zones in the Earth's mantle are much more widespread than we previously thought," Schouten comments.

At the same time, geological data do not indicate historical subduction in the vicinity of these anomalies. This gives rise to speculation that these structures may not be plate fragments or completely different formations. Among the possibilities are ancient silicon-rich pockets or iron clusters that have drifted in the mantle over billions of years.

These discoveries indicate a much greater diversity in the composition of the Earth's mantle than previously thought. Now scientists are faced with the task of continuing research to unravel the nature of these mysterious structures.

Earlier, researchers suggested that melting Antarctic ice could awaken hidden volcanoes. To understand this, 4000 computer simulations were conducted.

If you want to get the latest news about the war and events in Ukraine, subscribe to our Telegram channel!