Andie Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 EOS Earth & Space Science News, February 27, 2019: “The Unsolved Mystery of the Earth Blobs” by Jenessa Duncombe. A cutaway of Earth’s interior illustrates the mysterious turquoise blob masses around the reddish iron core that are mountains higher than Mount Everest underneath the Pacific Ocean. Swirling mantle rock structures (dark blue) are based on a numerical convection model. Credit: Mingming Li/Arizona State University University of Maryland Geologist and Professor Ved Lekis says Earth is the only planet known to contain plate tectonics, and recent research has suggested that tectonics may help sustain life by delivering a steady stream of nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, to the surface. And yet researchers are not even sure what causes plate tectonic movement, let alone the gigantic mountainous blobs in the Earth’s mantle. Prof. Lekis adds: “I think that their real fundamental and philosophical appeal is their mystery. They are among the largest things inside the Earth, and yet we literally do not know what they are, where they came from, how long they’ve been around, or what they do.” Where are the mountainous blobs inside our planet? One mysterious, mountainous blob lies under the Pacific Ocean. The other is under Africa and part of the Atlantic Ocean. Even though scientists know the blobs slow down earthquake seismic waves, no one knows what their composition is. Researchers have argued back and forth for decades about whether the mountainous masses are made of dense piles of chemically unique rock; or rubbery lava plumes; or something else. Geophysicist Paula Koelemeijer at University College London says, “We know less about what’s deep below our feet than we know about the surface of the Sun or the Moon or Mars.” Without yet knowing what the actual composition and density of the huge moutain blobs are, it is difficult to understand their evolution. Were these hot mantle mountains responsible for the periodic supervolcanoes that have contributed to Earth extinction events? With contributions fron Earthfiles.com Quote Before You Diagnose Yourself With Depression or Low Self-Esteem,...First Make Sure You Are Not In Fact, Just Surrounded By A$$holes. “If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent out Texas and live in Hell.” Gen. Sheridan 1866 2018 Rainfall - 62.65" High Temp. - 110.03* Low Temp. - 8.4* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wxmidatlantic Posted May 3, 2019 Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 Convention. Cumulonimbus lavatus... Nice image...wonder if it rains iron? 1 Quote A Navy Chief said, "Never change your forecast. That way you can only be wrong once." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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