Mysteries Baffle Scientists: Enigmatic Structures Found Under the Pacific

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From Atlantis to El Dorado and Avalon, legends suggest that our planet is scattered with vanished realms that suffered monumental fates.

Although these are often regarded as creative legends, recent research uncovers proof of a 'vanished continent' under the Pacific Ocean.

Researchers from ETH Zurich and the California Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have discovered massive formations deep under the Pacific Ocean that defy expectations and 'should not be there.'

This enigmatic substance—responsible for unusual behavior in seismic activity in the area—might indicate the presence of an ancient submerged continent dating back hundreds of millions of years.

Based on present scientific theories, the unusual material located in the lower mantle, approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) below sea level, 'ought not to be present' there.

Referred to as a significant enigma, these discoveries challenge "our present comprehension of how the planet functions," according to the scientists involved.

"Determining Earth's structure is crucial for understanding its internal movements," states the research team in their paper, which was published in Scientific Reports .

These discoveries indicate a greater variety of sources for these irregularities in Earth's deep mantle.

The Earth consists of three layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core, as identified subsequently. divided into 'internal' and 'external' .

The issue is that nobody can observe what lies beneath the Earth’s surface, and drilling deep enough to collect rock samples from the mantle is impossible for us.

Rather than directly observing what goes on inside planets, researchers examine the velocities of seismic waves – which are generated by earthquakes and blasts – as these waves move through Earth’s internal layers.

Seismograph stations capture these waves, and from these records, experts can infer details about the Earth's structure and makeup.

'Just as physicians utilize ultrasound to visualize internal structures such as organs, muscles, or blood vessels within the body non-invasively, ETH Zurich explained.'

It is widely recognized that Earth's lithosphere — the planet’s rigid, outer layer consisting of the upper part of the mantle and the crust — is made up of approximately 15 tectonic plates.

Earthquakes can be identified around the edges of tectonic plates, where these massive sections grind against one another.

However, long ago, substantial tectonic plates vanished beneath Earth's surface through a process called 'subduction.'

What methods do scientists use to understand what lies beneath Earth's surface?

Nobody can observe what lies within the Earth, and drilling has not reached far enough to obtain rock samples from the mantle, which sits between the planet’s core and crust.

Therefore, geophysicists employ indirect techniques to understand what lies beneath our surface.

For instance, they utilize seismograms, also known as earthquake recordings, to ascertain the velocity at which seismic waves travel.

They subsequently utilize this data to determine the Earth's interior composition—much like physicians employ ultrasounds to visualize the human body.

This refers to the geological process where one tectonic plate is thrust beneath another, leading to the gradual subduction of an entire plate over time.

Previously, seismologists have identified the location of submerged tectonic plates across the Earth's mantle; however, these were consistently found beneath subduction zones.

In their latest research, scientists from ETH Zurich and Caltech employed a computational method known as 'full-waveform inversion.' This approach generates a three-dimensional representation of the Earth’s structure utilizing seismic wave information.

They pinpointed regions beneath the Pacific that appear to be remnants of submerged tectonic plates, located distant from plate margins without any geologic proof of previous subduction activity.

The Pacific Plate is essentially one single tectonic plate, which means there shouldn’t be any subducting material beneath it at all.

This indicates that the anomalies are likely not remnants of submerged tectonic plates. Nevertheless, identifying the actual composition of these materials or understanding their implications for the dynamic processes within the Earth remains a mystery.

"It’s akin to a physician who has spent years using ultrasounds to examine blood flow and consistently discovers arteries precisely where they should be," remarked co-author Professor Andreas Fichtner, a seismologist at ETH Zurich.

'If you provide him with a more advanced examination tool, he abruptly detects an artery in the buttocks that shouldn’t actually be present. This mirrors precisely our reaction to these recent discoveries.'

Nevertheless, the researchers offer several hypotheses regarding the anomalies, but these would require additional data from wave properties beyond mere velocity to draw any solid conclusions.

These might consist of ancient, high-silica substances that have remained within the mantle from its inception around four billion years ago.

They might also be areas where iron-rich rocks amass due to mantle activity spanning several billion years.

"There are various possible interpretations for the observation of positive velocity anomalies within Earth's (lower) mantle besides the existence of subducted slabs," they state in their research paper.

'Ours is the finding that highlights the essential function of full waveform inversion as a crucial method for exploring the mantle.'