North American erosion is living and it may be slowly sinking

A new study published in the magazine Nature GeobiliFor now, an unpredictable phenomenon has revealed, but it represents a risk for the geological stability of North America: Part of the deep rocky base that supports the continent is slowly separated And it sinks towards the cloak of the world.

Towards the super harmonization layer between the shell and the nucleus of the rocks, this “Damla” creates a structure -like structure that concentrates in the Middle West of the United States. This phenomenon draws the old rocks of the continental block horizontally before pouring into the hot interior of the planet.

These old rocks are actually what geologists call CratonA gigantic continental block of stable and hard granitic rocks, which lasted for billions of years, forming a solid base for all continental soils. Unlike OCEAN plates, it pushed down and recycled, resists due to lower density and more thickness (up to 200 km).

Using earthquake data to understand the phenomenon

Although it is extremely robust, the craton is not unchanged, because it is based on the so -Called astenosfe, which is the layer of viscous behavioral top cloaks that can flow on a large time scale. This means a seemingly unshakable base Ultimately, it does not include processes that may affect their integrity.

To test their hypotheses, the authors used a new seismic tomographic model based on the data collected by the Earthscope project for North America. The calculation model has revealed unprecedented details about the geological processes that occur in shell and mantle under the craton known as Canadian Shield.

In a statement, Co -Outor Thorsten Becker, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin, explains that the method allows the method to focus on the area between deep capes and shallow lithosphere, and is looking for clues about what is happening. This is important “If we want to understand how a planet develops over time. This helps to understand how continents are formed, how they are broken, and how they are recycled, gene he says.

What did scientists discovered about the sinking of the cranet?

For the first, the new seismic model allowed the cranet to visualize the “drop” in detail, that is, the parts of the continental base loosening and sinking into the cape. Scientists connect this process to the old Farallon plateIt began to dive into the continent about 200 million years ago, but still affects the area, even 600 kilometers from Craton.

This plate, which was the first to be sismamik in the 1990s, can release chemical agents that weaken the base of the cranet and cause underground erosion. The model revealed that this basic thinning has expanded not only on the site, but also in a wide range of North America.

Calculatory simulations confirmed suspicions. When the Farrallon plate was included in the models, the craner began to “drip”, but the process stopped when taken from the simulation. “This exaggeration may appear, but the signs are there, the perfect logical patterns appear and disappear.”

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