Latest news with #GFZHelmholtzCentreforGeosciences
Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
'Moving 12 miles per million years': A superhot giant 'blob' moving closer to New York city, say scientists
A massive, slow-moving "hot blob" of rock located beneath the Appalachian Mountains is gradually making its way toward New York City, scientists revealed in a new study published in the journal Geology . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The phenomenon, officially known as the Northern Appalachian Anomaly (NAA), lies about 125 miles beneath the mountains and stretches approximately 220 miles across the New England region. According to researchers, the NAA is drifting southwestward at a rate of nearly 12 miles per million years. At this pace, the geological structure is expected to reach the vicinity of New York in roughly 10 to 15 million years. 'This thermal upwelling has long been a puzzling feature of North American geology,' said Tom Gernon, the study's lead author and Professor of Earth Science at the University of Southampton. The study suggests that the anomaly likely formed around 80 million years ago during the separation of Greenland and North America. This finding revises the earlier theory which linked the formation to the breakup of North America and Africa nearly 180 million years ago. 'Our research suggests it's part of a much larger, slow-moving process deep underground that could potentially help explain why mountain ranges like the Appalachians are still standing,' Gernon said. Scientists believe that heat from the blob has played a role in elevating the Appalachian Mountains, helping them retain height despite extensive erosion over time. The crust beneath the mountains is expected to gradually settle, leading to a possible reduction in elevation in the distant future. 'Heat at the base of a continent can weaken and remove part of its dense root, making the continent lighter and more buoyant, like a hot air balloon rising after dropping its ballast. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This would have caused the ancient mountains to be further uplifted over the past few million years,' Gernon explained. Sascha Brune of the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Germany noted that these types of geological features may not be isolated. 'Our earlier research shows that these drips of rock can form in series, like domino stones when they fall one after the other, and sequentially migrate over time,' Brune said. 'The feature we see beneath New England is very likely one of these drips, which originated far from where it now sits.' The study relied on a combination of geological observations, plate tectonic models, geodynamic theory, and advanced computer simulations to examine the behaviour and origin of the NAA. Researchers said the findings could provide new insights into the deep processes shaping Earth's geology and highlight the long-lasting impact of ancient continental shifts.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Massive Hot Blob Beneath US Is Slowly Moving Toward New York City, Study Finds
Scientists have said that a massive, "hot blob" of rock beneath the Appalachian Mountains is slowly moving toward New York City. According to a new study published in the journal Geology, the blob is located approximately 125 miles beneath the mountains, spanning 220 miles across New England. It's officially called the Northern Appalachian Anomaly (NAA). The blob is slowly moving southwestward at a pace of about 12 miles per million years and is expected to reach New York in approximately 10 to 15 million years. "This thermal upwelling has long been a puzzling feature of North American geology," Tom Gernon, who is the study's lead author, Professor of Earth Science at the University of Southampton, said in a statement. Researchers believe the NAA formed around 80 million years ago when Greenland and North America began to separate. This challenges the previous theory that it was a leftover from when North America broke away from Africa 180 million years ago. "Our research suggests it's part of a much larger, slow-moving process deep underground that could potentially help explain why mountain ranges like the Appalachians are still standing," Gernon said. "Heat at the base of a continent can weaken and remove part of its dense root, making the continent lighter and more buoyant, like a hot air balloon rising after dropping its ballast. This would have caused the ancient mountains to be further uplifted over the past few million years." The blob's heat may have contributed to the uplift of the Appalachian Mountains, keeping them relatively high despite erosion over millions of years. According to the scientists, the crust beneath the Appalachians will likely settle, causing the mountains to lose some elevation. "Our earlier research shows that these drips of rock can form in series, like domino stones when they fall one after the other, and sequentially migrate over time," said Sascha Brune, from the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Germany. "The feature we see beneath New England is very likely one of these drips, which originated far from where it now sits." This discovery would help researchers explore the deep processes that shape Earth's geology and also highlight the enduring effects of ancient geological events, like continental breakups, on the planet's surface. Scientists used a combination of direct geological observations, plate tectonics, geodynamics and computer simulations to study the NAA.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Myanmar earthquake caused by rare type of superfast rupture, scientists say
The devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake, which struck Myanmar on Friday, killing over 2,800 people and leaving thousands more injured, was caused by a rare 'supershear' rupture that moved fast and far, scientists say. With tremors felt hundreds of miles away as far as the Thai capital of Bangkok, the death toll from the quake continues to rise, with over 3,900 reported injured and about 270 missing. Many are feared trapped under collapsed buildings across Myanmar and dozens from the collapse of a high-rise building under construction in Thailand. Scientists say the geological fault which broke during the quake – the massive Sagaing fault between the Burma and Sunda tectonic plates – likely ruptured 'very fast' and as far as 400km (250miles) to trigger the quake. 'The earthquake occurred on the Sagaing Fault – the major tectonic structure that accommodates the northward motion of India and western Myanmar with respect to the rest of South East Asia,' said Ian Watkinson, seismologist from Royal Holloway, University of London. This fault passes from the Andaman Sea in the south to the very northern part of Myanmar and is 'very similar in scale, movement and seismicity' to the San Andreas Fault in California, Dr Watkinson said in a statement. 'The rupture propagated both north and south with a rupture velocity of about 3km (1.8miles) per second,' seismologist Frederik Tilmann from the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany, said in a LinkedIn post. 'Remarkably, the southward propagating rupture accelerates up to a speed of about 5kmps,' Dr Tilman said, indicating that the rupture was likely a 'supershear' rupture. In supershear quakes, scientists say the rupture underground travels faster than the seismic waves it produces. This tends to concentrate seismic energy before the rupture, causing greater damage at much greater distances compared to normal quakes. Such a rupture of the fault is 'the earthquake equivalent of a supersonic jet', he said. 'The supershear rupture leads to a strong radiation of seismic energy in the forward direction,' the seismologist explained. 'The magnitude 7.7 earthquake appears to have ruptured a 200km section of the Sagaing Fault, a major North-South fault that separates the India plate and the Sunda Plate,' said seismologist Brian Baptie from the British Geological Survey (BGS). Dr Baptie observed that the rupture propagated from North to South in just about a minute. This unusually fast movement of the tectonic plates may have 'exacerbated damage' seen in Myanmar and caused the drastic effects experienced in Bangkok over 1000km (620miles) away from the epicentre, Dr Tilman said. 'The earthquake resulted in intense ground shaking, with at least 2.8 million people in Myanmar exposed to severe or violent shaking, with most of the population in the region living in buildings that are constructed from timber and unreinforced brick masonry, and that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking,' Dr Baptie added. Satellite imagery in the coming days may confirm the theory, scientists say.
Observer
28-03-2025
- Climate
- Observer
Aftershocks likely after Myanmar quake
Myanmar should prepare for possible aftershocks following the powerful earthquake that struck the country on Friday, a German geophysicist said. "We assume that aftershocks will occur. This is a typical process," said Oliver Heidbach from the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in the eastern German city of Potsdam. GFZ scientists said a series of aftershocks with magnitudes of between 6 and 6.5 is possible in the coming hours or days, with the quakes decreasing in number and strength over time. Alternatively, there could be a second strong earthquake, they said. Heidbach warned that seismic waves generated by strong aftershocks could hit buildings that have already been damaged, making rescue work more difficult and dangerous. The GFZ estimated the magnitude of Friday's initial earthquake at 7.6, with the epicentre at a depth of around 20 kilometres, according to its preliminary analysis. The epicentre of Friday's earthquake was near the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, but the quake was also felt in Thailand and other countries. A second earthquake hit the area minutes later, measured at a magnitude of 6.4 by the United States Geological Survey. The epicentre of the first earthquake was located on a fault that absorbs the movement of the Indian tectonic plate, which straddles the equator, Heidbach explained. He said the area is hit by strong earthquakes roughly every 100 years. Heidbach said it was too early to assess the consequences of the earthquake. The quake was also felt in Thailand's capital Bangkok as well as in parts of China and India. There were no initial reports of injuries or deaths from those countries. Meanwhile, Myanmar's ruling military general on Friday invited 'any country' to provide help and donations following a major earthquake that killed 144 people, warning there would be more deaths and casualties. Min Aung Hlaing on state television said he had opened routes for international assistance and had accepted offers of help from India and the Southeast Asian bloc Asean. The Red Cross in Myanmar has reported devastating damage following strong earthquakes. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has spoken to staff in the affected region, according to the IFRC programme manager on the ground, Marie Manrique. There is great concern that dams on the Irrawaddy River may have been damaged and could break. According to Manrique, 18.5 million people live in the affected area near the city of Sagaing, where two quakes — of an estimated magnitude of 7.7 and 6.4 — were recorded. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 1.6 million of the 3.5 million displaced people in Myanmar live in the region hit by the earthquake. "We are very concerned about the possible humanitarian consequences," said Manrique. "We expect a lot of people to be injured." — Agencies
