Massive “ocean” hidden in Earth’s mantle linked to deep-focus earthquakes, research suggests
06/04/2021 / By Virgilio Marin
A massive “ocean” hidden in the Earth’s mantle may be triggering earthquakes that originate deep in the planet’s interior. This is what researchers from Carnegie Institute for Science and University of Alberta in Canada suggest in their study, which links fluids trapped in rocks deep underground to so-called deep-focus earthquakes.
The researchers detailed their findings in a paper published May 26 in the journal AGU Advances.
What causes deep-focus earthquakes?
Deep-focus earthquakes are earthquakes that occur between 185 and 435 miles below the Earth’s surface. First detected in the 1920s, these earthquakes continue to confound scientists to this day.
“The big problem that seismologists have faced is how it’s possible that we have these deep-focus earthquakes at all,” said co-author Lara Wagner.
https://www.climate.news/2021-06-04-ocean-in-earths-mantle-causes-earthquakes.html
