Tectonic Plate
- All
- News
- Videos
- Web Stories
-
Massive Continent-Sized Blobs Deep in Earth’s Mantle May Be Over a Billion Years Old
Massive mantle formations, called LLSVPs, have been found to be over a billion years old. These structures, sitting 3,000 km beneath the surface, slow seismic waves, indicating unique physical and compositional properties. Their stability suggests they influence Earth's geological processes, including volcanic activity and tectonic movements. Scien...
-
Scientists Uncover New Hidden Process That May Explain Earthquake Triggers
A new study has revealed a hidden mechanism that could explain how creeping stress along tectonic plates can lead to catastrophic earthquakes. The research, involving laboratory experiments with plexiglass, found that slow, aseismic movements at fault lines can build up energy. Once a critical point is reached, the energy is released suddenly, trig...
-
Mysterious 5,000-Year-Old 'Stonehenge Of The East' Drifting, Scientists Finally Reveal Why
As per a study, the tectonic plates in the area around Golan Heights shift between 0.3 and 0.6 inches every year.
-
Explained: What Caused Massive Tibet Earthquake That Killed 126 Today
A powerful earthquake struck Tibet near Mount Everest on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people and injuring over 130.
-
Gold-Sulfur Complex Found to Play Crucial Role in Gold Deposit Formation
An international team of scientists, led by Adam Simon, has uncovered the role of a gold-trisulfur complex in gold deposit formation. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals how this complex forms in the Earth's mantle under specific pressure and temperature conditions, especially in subduction zones ...
-
Tracing the Origins of Oaks: How Climate and Tectonic Changes Shaped Modern Trees
Oaks, iconic trees in today’s forests, evolved over millions of years, influenced by significant climatic events like the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Fossils found in Austria reveal the earliest oak evidence, while tectonic movements led to the diversification of oak species across continents. Oaks adapted to changing climates, making their...
-
Earth’s Longest Straight Underwater Mountain Chain Might Have Been Formed by a Moving Hotspot
A new study from Curtin University has revealed that the Ninetyeast Ridge, the world's longest straight underwater mountain chain, was formed by a moving volcanic hotspot, not a stationary one as previously believed. Spanning 5,000 km along the Indian Ocean, the ridge was shaped by the Kerguelen hotspot, which shifted several hundred kilometres ove...
-
Indian Ocean Gravity Hole Might Have Been Formed After the Death of an Ancient Ocean
A vast anomaly in the Indian Ocean, called the gravity hole, has been studied for decades due to its weak gravitational pull and significantly lower sea levels. Recent findings link its origins to the ancient Tethys Ocean and mantle changes caused by tectonic plate shifts. Researchers used advanced models to simulate the geological processes, revea...
-
Geodynamic Mantle-Flow Model Reveals Erosion Process of North China Craton
New research from China University of Geosciences unveils how tectonic shifts eroded the once-stable North China Craton. Led by Professor Shaofeng Liu, this study explores flat-slab subduction processes, revealing three stages of deformation due to the ancient Izanagi plate’s horizontal movement beneath the Eurasian plate. This breakthrough redef...
-
Why India Is Disappearing Under China In Tectonic Tug-Of-War
The military stand-off between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) found an amicable solution recently. However, another kind of tug-of-war between India and China - a continuous and ancient tectonic one - has been going on.
-
Animal Life Discovered Underground Near Hydrothermal Vents in the Deep Pacific Seabed
Recent deep-sea explorations have unveiled a remarkable ecosystem thriving beneath the Pacific Ocean's floor. Scientists deployed a remotely operated vehicle to investigate hydrothermal vent sites along the East Pacific Rise, where two tectonic plates diverge. Beneath the seafloor, they discovered cavities harboring giant tubeworms—the largest wo...
-
Pontus Plate: Long-Lost Part Of Earth Believed To Be 120-Million-Year-Old Discovered In Borneo
Researchers have reconstructed the ancient Pontus plate, estimating it covered an area roughly one-quarter the size of the Pacific Ocean.
-
Earth's Crust is ‘Dripping’ Beneath Turkey’s Konya Basin, Revealing Unique Geological Phenomenon
Researchers have uncovered a remarkable geological phenomenon beneath Türkiye’s Central Anatolian Plateau, where dense materials from Earth’s crust are detaching and sinking into the mantle below. This process, known as multi-stage lithospheric dripping, has been shaping the Konya Basin’s surface and provides crucial insights into Earth’s ...
-
New Species Emerged As Tectonic Plates Shifted: Surprise Discovery
Coelacanths are deep-sea fish that live off the coasts of southern Africa and Indonesia and can reach up to two metres in length. For a long time, scientists believed they were extinct.
-
Antarctica Was Last Ice-Free 34 Million Years Ago: What Triggered This Climate Shift?
Antarctica, which is nearly four times the size of the United States, was not always covered in ice. The last time it was ice-free was 34 million years ago during the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. At that time, global temperatures were higher, and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were much higher than today. However, a significant drop in CO2 l...
-
Massive Continent-Sized Blobs Deep in Earth’s Mantle May Be Over a Billion Years Old
Massive mantle formations, called LLSVPs, have been found to be over a billion years old. These structures, sitting 3,000 km beneath the surface, slow seismic waves, indicating unique physical and compositional properties. Their stability suggests they influence Earth's geological processes, including volcanic activity and tectonic movements. Scien...
-
Scientists Uncover New Hidden Process That May Explain Earthquake Triggers
A new study has revealed a hidden mechanism that could explain how creeping stress along tectonic plates can lead to catastrophic earthquakes. The research, involving laboratory experiments with plexiglass, found that slow, aseismic movements at fault lines can build up energy. Once a critical point is reached, the energy is released suddenly, trig...
-
Mysterious 5,000-Year-Old 'Stonehenge Of The East' Drifting, Scientists Finally Reveal Why
As per a study, the tectonic plates in the area around Golan Heights shift between 0.3 and 0.6 inches every year.
-
Explained: What Caused Massive Tibet Earthquake That Killed 126 Today
A powerful earthquake struck Tibet near Mount Everest on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people and injuring over 130.
-
Gold-Sulfur Complex Found to Play Crucial Role in Gold Deposit Formation
An international team of scientists, led by Adam Simon, has uncovered the role of a gold-trisulfur complex in gold deposit formation. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals how this complex forms in the Earth's mantle under specific pressure and temperature conditions, especially in subduction zones ...
-
Tracing the Origins of Oaks: How Climate and Tectonic Changes Shaped Modern Trees
Oaks, iconic trees in today’s forests, evolved over millions of years, influenced by significant climatic events like the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Fossils found in Austria reveal the earliest oak evidence, while tectonic movements led to the diversification of oak species across continents. Oaks adapted to changing climates, making their...
-
Earth’s Longest Straight Underwater Mountain Chain Might Have Been Formed by a Moving Hotspot
A new study from Curtin University has revealed that the Ninetyeast Ridge, the world's longest straight underwater mountain chain, was formed by a moving volcanic hotspot, not a stationary one as previously believed. Spanning 5,000 km along the Indian Ocean, the ridge was shaped by the Kerguelen hotspot, which shifted several hundred kilometres ove...
-
Indian Ocean Gravity Hole Might Have Been Formed After the Death of an Ancient Ocean
A vast anomaly in the Indian Ocean, called the gravity hole, has been studied for decades due to its weak gravitational pull and significantly lower sea levels. Recent findings link its origins to the ancient Tethys Ocean and mantle changes caused by tectonic plate shifts. Researchers used advanced models to simulate the geological processes, revea...
-
Geodynamic Mantle-Flow Model Reveals Erosion Process of North China Craton
New research from China University of Geosciences unveils how tectonic shifts eroded the once-stable North China Craton. Led by Professor Shaofeng Liu, this study explores flat-slab subduction processes, revealing three stages of deformation due to the ancient Izanagi plate’s horizontal movement beneath the Eurasian plate. This breakthrough redef...
-
Why India Is Disappearing Under China In Tectonic Tug-Of-War
The military stand-off between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) found an amicable solution recently. However, another kind of tug-of-war between India and China - a continuous and ancient tectonic one - has been going on.
-
Animal Life Discovered Underground Near Hydrothermal Vents in the Deep Pacific Seabed
Recent deep-sea explorations have unveiled a remarkable ecosystem thriving beneath the Pacific Ocean's floor. Scientists deployed a remotely operated vehicle to investigate hydrothermal vent sites along the East Pacific Rise, where two tectonic plates diverge. Beneath the seafloor, they discovered cavities harboring giant tubeworms—the largest wo...
-
Pontus Plate: Long-Lost Part Of Earth Believed To Be 120-Million-Year-Old Discovered In Borneo
Researchers have reconstructed the ancient Pontus plate, estimating it covered an area roughly one-quarter the size of the Pacific Ocean.
-
Earth's Crust is ‘Dripping’ Beneath Turkey’s Konya Basin, Revealing Unique Geological Phenomenon
Researchers have uncovered a remarkable geological phenomenon beneath Türkiye’s Central Anatolian Plateau, where dense materials from Earth’s crust are detaching and sinking into the mantle below. This process, known as multi-stage lithospheric dripping, has been shaping the Konya Basin’s surface and provides crucial insights into Earth’s ...
-
New Species Emerged As Tectonic Plates Shifted: Surprise Discovery
Coelacanths are deep-sea fish that live off the coasts of southern Africa and Indonesia and can reach up to two metres in length. For a long time, scientists believed they were extinct.
-
Antarctica Was Last Ice-Free 34 Million Years Ago: What Triggered This Climate Shift?
Antarctica, which is nearly four times the size of the United States, was not always covered in ice. The last time it was ice-free was 34 million years ago during the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. At that time, global temperatures were higher, and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were much higher than today. However, a significant drop in CO2 l...
