Tectonic Plates
- All
- News
- Videos
-
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...
-
Earth Only Has 6 Continents, Claims Bold New Study
The new study is based on the study of Iceland, located between the Greenland Sea and North Atlantic Ocean.
-
Major US Cities At Risk Of Catastrophic Quake, Warns Study
The study of Cascadia Subduction Zone is important because plates like these can witness massive earthquakes that could generate tsunamis 100 feet or more.
-
Part Of California's San Andreas Fault Primed For Major Earthquake, Says Study
Scientists have long been monitoring the San Andreas fault Line that is predicted to be the source of the 'Big One'. It separates the Pacific and North American tectonic plates.
-
Will Earth Get A New Ocean? Massive Faultline In Africa Sparks Speculation
A peer-reviewed study detailing the split was published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. It said that the plates separate a few millimetres per year.
-
Future Earthquake Epicenter? Scientists Forecast An 'Atlantic Ring Of Fire' Formation
Earth's continents have cyclically united and separated over billions of years. The future convergence remains uncertain, posing questions about timing and whether it will occur near the North Pole or equator.
-
Pacific Plate Being Torn Apart From Japan To New Zealand, Finds Study
The latest research has identified new points at which the Pacific plate is being pulled down into the mantle.
-
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...
-
Earth Only Has 6 Continents, Claims Bold New Study
The new study is based on the study of Iceland, located between the Greenland Sea and North Atlantic Ocean.
-
Major US Cities At Risk Of Catastrophic Quake, Warns Study
The study of Cascadia Subduction Zone is important because plates like these can witness massive earthquakes that could generate tsunamis 100 feet or more.
-
Part Of California's San Andreas Fault Primed For Major Earthquake, Says Study
Scientists have long been monitoring the San Andreas fault Line that is predicted to be the source of the 'Big One'. It separates the Pacific and North American tectonic plates.
-
Will Earth Get A New Ocean? Massive Faultline In Africa Sparks Speculation
A peer-reviewed study detailing the split was published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. It said that the plates separate a few millimetres per year.
-
Future Earthquake Epicenter? Scientists Forecast An 'Atlantic Ring Of Fire' Formation
Earth's continents have cyclically united and separated over billions of years. The future convergence remains uncertain, posing questions about timing and whether it will occur near the North Pole or equator.
-
Pacific Plate Being Torn Apart From Japan To New Zealand, Finds Study
The latest research has identified new points at which the Pacific plate is being pulled down into the mantle.
