Researchers peering into Earth’s interior found two continent-sized structures that upend our picture of the mantle. What could their existence mean for us back on Earth’s surface?
Citation: Duncombe, J. (2019), The unsolved mystery of the Earth blobs, Eos, 100, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EO117193. Published on 27 February 2019.
Researchers speculate that the blobs may feed hot spot volcanoes, which form ocean island chains like Hawaii. And other scientists wonder if the blobs could have fueled supervolcanoes in the past, potentially contributing to Earth’s biggest extinction events. But mineral physicist Dan Shim from Arizona State University said that until the density of the blobs is understood, “we cannot go to the next level of questions.”
Two recent studies, which found a way to measure density without traditional seismic methods, suggest a more complex view than before.