Ancient Ocean Floor Discovered Beneath Nazca Plate: Breakthrough Study Uncovers Secrets of Earth’s Fastest Spreading Ridge

Scientists have discovered the remains of an ancient floor beneath the Nazca Plate. The discovery, described in the journal Science Advances, may explain the fastest spreading of the ocean ridge in the world.

A team of University of Maryland geologists, led by Jingchuan Wang, used seismic data to identify ancient oceanic plates hidden deep in the Earth’s mantle beneath the Nazca Plate, adjacent to South America and rotating southeast the Pacific Ocean. As Science Alert explains, these ancient plates, which date back to the dinosaurs about 250 million years ago, may be the best way to understand the rapid expansion of the East Pacific Rift.

“Our discovery opens up new questions about the influence of the Earth’s deep interior on the surface phenomena we see, at the scale of great distances and times,” said Wang, cited by ScienceAlert.

While analyzing the movement of seismic waves, scientists noticed an unusual structure in the Earth’s mantle that was moving more slowly than expected. The mantle, the Earth’s deep layer of hot silicate rocks, is subject to slow flows of material over tens of millions of years. It is about 2,900 km thick and lies between the crust and the core. Importantly, a coat earthly plays an important role in the processes related to the release of energy from within the Earth.

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In the region studied by Wang’s team, the Nazca Plate is subducting (sliding) under South America, which leads, among others, to gradual build up Andes. However, their research showed that material in this area falls at half the expected rate, suggesting that the mantle transfer zone may be slowing the movement of material.

According to scientists, this thick area is the remains of the ancient seabed that penetrated the depths of the Earth about 250 million years ago. Without melting completely, these fragments contribute to the formation of mantle plumes that may be responsible for geological activity under the Easter Islands.

Research suggests that these anomalies deep within the Earth could help explain the movements of the Nazca Plate throughout the history of our planet. “Thanks to this discovery, we can better understand how processes deep inside the Earth affect the formation of its surface,” said Wang.