Latest news with #NorthernAppalachianAnomaly
Time of India
2 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
2 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.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
What lies under: A massive hot blob is approaching New York city; here's what it means
1 2 3 A mysterious geological formation deep beneath the Earth's surface is catching the attention of scientists around the world. It is nicknamed as the 'hot blob,' and this vast mass of heated rock lies beneath the Northern Appalachian region. Surprisingly, this appears to be slowly making its way toward New York City. Though it may sound like a scene from a disaster movie, scientists assure us this is natural. What is the ' hot blob '? The so-called 'hot blob' is officially referred to as the Northern Appalachian Anomaly (NAA). It sits about 200 km beneath the Earth's surface and stretches around 355 km across the northeastern US, including parts of New England. It's a patch of unusually hot rock moving very slowly under the Earth's crust. Researchers originally believed it was a remnant from 180 million years ago, when North America separated from Africa. But new findings suggest it actually formed around 80 million years ago, during the breakup of ancient land masses that became Canada and Greenland. Why and how is it moving? According to a study published in Nature, the hot blob forms when molten rock from the mantle rises into cracks in the Earth's crust created by ancient rifting. Over time, as it cools, the material begins to sink or "drip" downward, causing ripple-like movements known as mantle waves. '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,' explained Professor Tom Gernon, lead author of the study and Professor of Earth Science at the University of Southampton. This uplift effect might explain why the Appalachian Mountains have remained so tall despite millions of years of erosion. Could it be dangerous? The answer is not anytime soon. The blob is moving at about 19 km per million years, meaning it would take roughly 10 to 15 million years to reach New York City. Still, it may have geological impacts, possibly explaining why rare volcanic eruptions in the region sometimes bring diamonds to the surface.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Mysterious underground ‘hot blob' moving towards New York? Scientists puzzled
A mysterious 'hot blob' is moving towards New York City, leaving scientists puzzled. UK scientists have found a massive 'blob' of rock under the Appalachian mountains, and it is headed towards the Big Apple, a study published in the journal Geology claimed. The 'hot blob' heading towards NYC was originally thought to have formed 180 million years ago, when North America had broken away from Africa. New research says different. (X/@newyorkcitykopp) "This thermal upwelling has long been a puzzling feature of North American geology,' Tom Gernon, the study's lead author and Professor of Earth Science at the University of Southampton, said. What is this mysterious 'hot blob'? The 'hot blob' is officially called Northern Appalachian Anomaly (NAA), and lies 125 feet deep underground and extends 220 miles across New England. This was originally thought to have formed 180 million years ago, when North America had broken away from Africa. Now, new research suggests that it appeared only 80 million years back, when the precursor landmasses to Canada and Greenland were splitting apart. 'It lies beneath part of the continent that's been tectonically quiet for 180 million years, so the idea that it was just a leftover from when the landmass broke apart never quite stacked up,' Gernon added. The team, in a study published in the Nature journal, detailed how molten mantle molasses get created when the hot rock, sitting just outside the earth's core, rises to fill cracks in the crust caused by land rifts. Once it cools, the material sinks or 'drips', which causes a ripple effect along lower surfaces of continents. This has been called 'mantle waves'. What scientists know about the 'hot blob' Scientists were able to replicate the formation of a hot blob, 1120 miles northeast of the Appalachians, using a combination of direct geological observations, model plate tectonics and geodynamics, and computer simulations. The blob seems to be moving at a speed of 12 miles every million years. At this rate, it would take the blob 10 to 15 million years to reach New York City. The simulation further showed that the blob might have helped raise the Appalachians. This explains how the mountain range has remained so high, despite erosion over 20 million years. '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,' Gernon said, adding, 'This would have caused the ancient mountains to be further uplifted over the past million years.' As per the study, this blob might also be the reason why rare volcanic eruptions bring diamonds to the surface.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
Massive, mysterious ‘hot blob' beneath Eastern US is moving toward New York, puzzling scientists
Is this the start of Goo York City? UK scientists have discovered a massive 'blob' of rock underneath the Appalachian mountains that's slowly oozing its way toward New York City, per a slimy new study published in the journal Geology. 'This thermal upwelling has long been a puzzling feature of North American geology,' the study's lead author, Tom Gernon, Professor of Earth Science at the University of Southampton, said in a statement. Officially dubbed the Northern Appalachian Anomaly (NAA), this subterranean slimeball sits 125 feet deep underground and extends 220 miles across New England. The team reportedly discovered it using seismic tomography, a method akin to taking a giant CAT scan of the Earth. 4 Fortunately, the blob won't reach NYC for at least 10 million years, per the study. Christopher Sadowski While originally thought to have formed 180 million years ago when North America broke away from Africa, the new research suggests that it appeared 80 million years ago when the precursor landmasses to Canada and Greenland were splitting apart, LiveScience reported. 'It lies beneath part of the continent that's been tectonically quiet for 180 million years, so the idea that it was just a leftover from when the landmass broke apart never quite stacked up,' said Gernon. In a study published last year in the Journal Nature, the team described how this molten mantle molasses is created when hot rock sitting just outside the Earth's core rises to fill cracks in the crust caused by land rifts. When this material eventually cools, it sinks or 'drips,' causing a ripple effect along the lower surfaces of the continents that has been called 'mantle waves.' 4 uplift the Appalachians, explaining why the mountain range remains so high despite significant erosion over the past 20 million years. Dana – By using a combination of direct geological observations, computer simulations and model plate tectonics and geodynamics, the team was able to replicate the formation of a hot blob 1,120 miles northeast of the Appalachians. They found that the primordial ooze was moving southwest at a clip of 12 miles every million years. 4 A map showing how the Appalachian Mountains may have split from Greenland around 80 million years ago. University of Southampton Fortunately, we don't need to prepare for an a-blob-alypse anytime soon. At this rate, researchers estimate that blob-zilla will reach NYC in 10 to 15 million years, like a very slow-moving B-movie monster — it takes a while for underground movements to make a splash in the Big Apple. 4 'It (the blob) lies beneath part of the continent that's been tectonically quiet for 180 million years, so the idea that it was just a leftover from when the landmass broke apart never quite stacked up,' said lead author Tom Gernon. 06photo – The simulation also showed that the blob may have helped uplift the Appalachians, explaining why the mountain range remains so high despite significant erosion over the past 20 million years. '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,' said Gernon 'This would have caused the ancient mountains to be further uplifted over the past million years.' After the blob departs the region, however, the Earth's crust will settle once again and erosion will 'continue to wear down the mountains, gradually lowering their elevation,' the scientist said. This seismic syrup is perhaps also the reason why rare volcanic eruptions can help bring diamonds to the surface, per the study. While the study was predominantly centered around the NAA, the team also focused on its twin, an anomalous hot zone situated beneath North Central Greenland. This tectonic lava lamp, which was created during the same continental fragmentation but on the other side of the rift like a molasses-y mirror, generates heat currents at the base of the miles-thick ice sheet, influencing how the ice moves and melts today. 'Ancient heat anomalies continue to play a key role in shaping the dynamics of continental ice sheets from below,' Gernon said. 'Even though the surface shows little sign of ongoing tectonics, deep below, the consequences of ancient rifting are still playing out.'
