This calls into question previously accepted theories about plate tectonics. Because? Because a study revealed the existence of extensive underwater faults in the Pacific plate. Geoscientists at the University of Toronto discovered major underwater fractures that are splitting this tectonic plate. It is a previously unknown phenomenon. The bottom of the Pacific Ocean is cracking. Because?
underwater faults
The findings are in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. These faults are thousands of meters deep and hundreds of kilometers long. They are the result of enormous forces within the plate, which push it westward. The Pacific plate is marked by geological deformations similar to those that occur on continental plates.
“We knew that geological deformations, such as faults, occur inside continental plates, far from the plate boundaries.” This was expressed by Erkan Gün, one of the authors of the study. “But we didn’t know that the same thing was happening with the oceanic plates,” emphasizes the specialist.
Submarine faults are on suboceanic plateaus. They formed when molten rock from the Earth’s mantle emerged toward the ocean floor. They are usually aligned with the nearest underwater trenches. What happens when a part of the tectonic plate sinks into the inner layers of the Earth? It drags the rest of the plate with it, creating stresses that form cracks.
New insights
This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of plate tectonics and the inner workings of the Earth. And it can improve predictions about seismic activity and volcanism associated with oceanic plates. It is suggested that suboceanic plateaus, despite being thicker, are actually weaker and more prone to tearing. They influence the intensity of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in regions near these structures.
Suboceanic plateaus are large elevations of the ocean floor formed by the flow of molten rock from the Earth’s mantle. It was thought that their greater thickness made them stronger. But seismic data and supercomputer models used in the study prove otherwise. The bottom of the Pacific Ocean is cracking: it is a new perspective on the resistance and stability of these geological formations.
