Geophysicists from the University of Cambridge (UK) presented their estimates of the frequency of propagation of disturbances in the Earth's mantle, which turned out to be ten times higher than scientists had assumed. The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience and is briefly reported on the institution's website.
Periodic density disturbances propagating in the Earth's mantle, as shown by the work of scientists, have a wavelength of about a thousand kilometers and an amplitude of one kilometer. For the past 30 years, researchers have believed that mantle wavelengths are ten times longer, and their peak is twice that.
The scientists came to their conclusions by analyzing 2010 point features associated with seismic activity at the bottom of the oceans. Scientists have compared the movement of the mantle inside the Earth to the movement of a yo-yo.
Wave propagation inside the mantle stretches over millions of years. During this time, disturbances can lead to a change in the topography of the earth's surface, in particular to the emergence of new mountains, lowlands (about a hundred meters in height and depth) and volcanoes, as well as to earthquakes.
New research has shown that wave disturbances in the mantle have a much higher frequency than previously thought. The latter can have a great influence on the processes leading to the occurrence of earthquakes and volcanoes in places located in the centers of lithospheric plates (for example, in the Hawaiian Islands). The work of scientists can be useful for finding hydrocarbon deposits and predicting long-term global climate change.
Earlier in early May, scientists showed that the reason for the abnormally high electrical conductivity of the mantle at a depth of 40 to 100 kilometers is the dehydration of chlorites.
The mantle, formed by hot silicate rocks, is located between the crust and the core of the Earth. Its thickness is equal to three thousand kilometers.