Is the Pacific Ring of Fire "feeding" the seventh continent?

(NLĐO) - Earth has two hidden continent-like structures deep within, disrupting the planet's "armor" layer.

A study recently published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports has unveiled more layers of mystery surrounding two "subsurface continents" called LLSVP (large low-shear-velocity provinces), hidden within the Earth.

LLSVP are areas where seismic waves slow down unusually as they pass through, a phenomenon of mysterious origin.

Earth has two continent-like structures, resembling the 7th and 8th continents, hidden in the deepest part of the mantle, marked in red - Photo: EGU

A research team led by Dr. James Panton from Cardiff University (UK) discovered that these particles can significantly affect Earth's magnetosphere, the invisible "shield" that has protected life from harmful cosmic rays.

According to this new research, the two mysterious "subsurface continents" are constantly changing over time, causing significant changes in their magnetic fields.

"Our mantle circulation models over the past billion years demonstrate that LLSVPs can develop naturally as a consequence of oceanic crust recycling," said Dr. Panton.

This is evidenced by the marked shift of the "subcontinent" beneath the Pacific Ocean . Scientists believe that the frenzied geological activity of the Pacific Ring of Fire has continuously replenished the region with Earth's crustal material.

In contrast, the African LLSVP, or the "subcontinent" beneath Africa, has remained virtually unchanged because it is not located under a subduction zone.

Subduction is part of the process of plate tectonics, in which upper tectonic plates are pulled underground by penetrating beneath other plates.

Tectonic plates can be understood as fragments of the Earth's crust. Our planet has a crust consisting of around 20 large and small plates, constantly shifting, causing the shapes of continents and oceans to continuously change over its 4.5 billion-year history.

LLSVPs influence the outside world through temperature differences between themselves and surrounding areas, affecting how heat dissipates from the Earth's core, thereby influencing convection within the core that creates the planet's magnetic field.

These theories also contradict the previous notion that these two "submerged continents" have remained unchanged for billions of years.

The most widely supported theory regarding their origin relates to the planet Theia, a hypothetical planet the size of Mars, believed to have collided with early Earth 4.5 billion years ago.

After the collision, early Earth material and Theia mixed together to form the Earth we know today, but two relatively large pieces of Theia remained intact, burrowing underground and becoming the two aforementioned LLSVPs.

According to this theory, material from the two early planets was also ejected into space, forming rings around Earth and gradually coalescing to form the Moon.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/vanh-dai-lua-thai-binh-duong-dang-nuoi-luc-dia-thu-7-196250306112915888.htm