Plates Under The Pacific Ocean Is Tearing Apart | The Plate Gets Dragged Inside The Earth, like A Tablecloth!
The mighty Pacific Ocean, a vast expanse of water overflowing with life and rings of fire is harboring a secret deep beneath its waves. The Pacific Plate underneath the ocean is tearing apart! Like a giant tablecloth slowly being pulled off a table. This massive slab of Earth’s crust is caving to massive forces, according to a study by the University of Toronto. It is reshaping the ocean floor and the continents on it. Let’s dive into know more about what’s happening on the ocean floor.
“It was thought that because the sub-oceanic plateaus are thicker, they should be stronger. But our models and seismic data show it’s the opposite: the plateaus are weaker.”
Erkan Gun, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at U of T Scarborough.
The Pacific Plate is Tearing Apart
Tectonic plates are rigid pieces of Earth’s lithosphere that float atop the semi-fluid asthenosphere. The Pacific Plate supports most of the Pacific Ocean floor. It is revealing its not-so-rigid nature as recent data indicate the presence of huge undersea faults.
Geoscientists from the University of Toronto have stumbled upon this groundbreaking discovery that challenges long-held beliefs about our ocean floors. The team found that the Pacific Plate is not the solid body we thought it was, but rather is scratched with massive faults, pulling it apart.
The scientists studied four plateaus present in the western Pacific Ocean, which are the Ontong Java, Shatsky, Hess, and Manihiki. These plateaus cover a vast area that borders New Zealand, Hawaii, Japan, and Australia. Using a supercomputer and existing data, they then created a model. The findings revealed major changes.
These faults are extensive, running deep beneath the ocean surface and stretching for hundreds of kilometers. The implications of this are staggering. Our planet is not as structurally intact as once thought. The phenomena happening within the very plates themselves demand closer attention.
“We knew that geological deformations like faults happen on the continental plate interiors far from plate boundaries. But we didn’t know the same thing was happening to ocean plates.”
Erkan Gun, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at U of T Scarborough.
Is the Pacific Plate Destructive?
The Pacific Plate plays a role in geological events. Destructive plate boundaries spell out a history of creation and destruction. Along the plate’s boundary with the Eurasian Plate, the two tectonic titans converge, resulting in the Pacific Plate’s subduction. It dips beneath its counterpart, caving to the mantle’s depths where it slowly gets consumed in the Earth’s fiery interior. This process fosters subduction zones characterized by undersea troughs. These are the wonders of Earth’s relentless drive to recycle itself.
This plate forms a huge portion of the Pacific Ring of Fire as well. This Ring of Fire is a path along the Pacific Ocean and holds many active volcanoes. It is also the birthplace of many earthquakes on Earth. The majority of Earth’s volcanoes and earthquakes take place along the Ring of Fire and tearing apart the plate would be immensely destructive.
Pacific Plate and The North American Plate
In relation to the North American Plate, the Pacific Plate’s movements are of particular interest. Driven by various forces, including magma currents, the Pacific Plate’s westward movement contrasts with the slightly slower southwestward journey of the North American Plate. As these two colossal plates interact, they influence seismic and volcanic activities along their boundaries.
Conclusion
The revelation that the Pacific Plate is tearing apart invites us to reconsider what we know about our planet’s dynamics. These new findings underscore the phenomenal powers at play beneath our feet and remind us of the ongoing evolution of Earth’s surface.
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