Earth is peeling; and, it may change how our planet looks: Scientists find strange developments in California
Scientists have found something strange under the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. And, it may change a lot about how the Earth looks in future.
Earthquakes usually happen close to the surface, about 10 to 18 kilometres deep. But recently, researcher Deborah Kilb noticed quakes happening much deeper, around 20 to 40 kilometres underground.
This is quite unusual because, at that depth, the Earth's crust is normally too hot. It is under too much pressure for quakes to happen.
Kilb told another scientist, Vera Schulte-Pelkum, who was already studying odd rock patterns in that area, CNN reported. Together, they used a special method called receiver function analysis to look deep inside the Earth.
What they found was surprising. The Earth's crust is peeling away in that region. This rare process is called lithospheric foundering.
The 'peeling' process happening under the Sierra Nevada may be linked to how continents formed long ago.
These findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters, help scientists understand more about how mountains and the Earth's surface change over time. It's like a slow-motion reshaping of the land deep below our feet.
If we imagine the Earth like a giant, layered onion, the outermost layer is the crust. It's the ground we walk on.
Now, that outer layer has started to separate or slide over or under other parts.
When the Earth's crust peels apart, it changes how the land looks. New mountains or islands can form. Sometimes, earthquakes or volcanoes happen too. When the Earth's crust moves, it can even make new land.
Earthquakes happen when stuck pieces suddenly slip. Volcanoes form when hot melted rock escapes through cracks.
Mountains like the Himalayas rise when crust pieces push together. Over many years, new land forms in oceans and some oceans become wider. It's nature shaping our planet.
First Published: 24 Apr 2025, 01:27 PM IST
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