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Baptized as the anomaly of the northern Apalaches, the rock giant mass will be born during the separation of Gronelândia and Canada and is the reason why the mounds appeal resist erosion.
In the depths of the eastern United States, a overheated colossal mass He is slowly moving toward New York, and scientists say they have been shaping the landscape for millions of years.
Known as the northern apalach anomaly, the mass extends by approximately 350 kilometers in diameter and is about 200 kilometers below the earth’s surface. Although it moves at an almost imperceptible pace – only 19 kilometers for million years – the investigators confirmed that it is not stationary, it refers to.
“This thermal resurgence has been a intriguing From US geology a long time ago, ”said Tom Gernon, a geoscientist at the University of Southampton and the main author of the new published in Geology.
Previous theories suggested that it was an ancient remnant magma of the separation of North America from Africa, about 180 million years ago. But recent evidence points to a more recent origin, about 80 million years ago, during the Separation of Grolândia and Canada.
Using seismic tomography, which acts as a magnetic resonance imaging of the planet’s crust, scientists mapped the anomaly movement. The results revealed the stain interiorpushing the crust up.
This pressure, the researchers believe, is one of the reasons why the hills Apalaches resisted erosion for so long. Despite their old age, the mountains remain relatively high, thanks to the hot rock underneath, which acts as a hydraulic monkey, raising the earth.
The influence of the stain can also explain the sporadic volcanic activity in the region and even The way diamonds arrive occasionally on the surface. Similar underground heat zones have been detected in other places, including below Granelândia, where they can play a role in the defrost.
Over time, the anomaly will come out of the apalaches. Without its thermal support, the mountains will start to sink graduallywith erosion to gradually reduce its altitude.
For now, the anomaly remains an invisible force actively shaping the East US landscape. These are not old debris or residual heat, but part of a dynamic system that continues to evolve under our feet.
“If you thought the ground was based, think again,” said Gernon. “The continent is still organizing.”
