America has begun to "flow" into the Earth's mantle

Geophysicists from the University of Texas at Austin have for the first time recorded an unusual process - part of the North American earth's crust is literally "flowing" into the Earth's mantle. This is connected to the remains of an ancient oceanic plate buried beneath the Midwest United States.

The study showed that beneath territories from Michigan to Nebraska and Alabama, giant droplet-shaped formations are forming, descending to depths of up to 640 km. These "drops" pull in rocks from a large area, causing a gradual loss of material in the lower part of the continental crust.

As Professor Junlin Hua from the University of Science and Technology of China explained, the cause lies in a fragment of the ancient Farallon plate, which sank beneath the North American plate millions of years ago. Its remains continue to exert gravitational influence, causing the movement of rocks deep into the Earth.

Computer modeling confirmed the hypothesis: the "droplet" zone formed only in the presence of a plate fragment. This demonstrates its significant influence on geological processes in the depths of the continent.

Although the changes will not affect the Earth's surface in the near future, the discovery helps to better understand the mechanisms of formation and redistribution of continents.

Source: Lifehacker.ru