Indian scientists have discovered a giant anomaly in the Indian Ocean. This anomaly is known as a “gravity hole,” which is a huge dent in the gravitational field and covers more than three million square kilometers of ocean. This enigmatic phenomenon is also known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low, or IOGL, where the Earth’s gravitational pull is significantly less than the global average. The low gravity has caused the seabed to sink about 106 meters.
According to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, there is said to be a giant “hole” in the Indian Ocean because Earth’s gravity is very low in this region.#UPSC2023 #upsc pic.twitter.com/ialmoXKQJX
– Sudarshan Gurjar (@SudarshanGeo)
July 6, 2023
This gravitational anomaly has baffled scientists around the world for years. Recent studies conducted show that researchers now have a likely scientific explanation for what is causing this gravity hole.
Two researchers at the Earth Science Center of the Indian Institute of Science, Debanjan Pal and Attreyee Ghosh, have found an explanation.
The two researchers reconstructed plate tectonic movements over the past 140 million years and performed computer simulations to trace the origin of the gravitational anomaly. According to Pal and Ghosh’s study, which is also published in Geophysical Research Letters, the IOGL is the result of a mass deficiency within the Earth’s mantle beneath the Indian Ocean. Through the study, they discovered that about 30 million years ago, the remains of an ancient sea known as the Tethys Sea sank beneath Africa, creating what is known today as a “slab graveyard.” Pieces of the oceanic plate sank beneath the surface of Africa in the mantle, the layer beneath the Earth’s crust. This created a powerful downward movement of molten rock in the mantle. To balance this downward movement, currents of warmer, lighter mantle began to rise from beneath the Indian Ocean.
This outcropping of heat columns began about 20 million years ago. As the plumes moved beneath the Lithosphere, which is the outer layer of the Earth, and approached the Indian peninsula, the gravitational anomaly became stronger and more pronounced.
Although studies have been carried out exhaustively, many scientists and researchers are still not convinced. More studies and research need to be done to fully understand the history and cause of this gravity hole.
This shows that we are not even close to understanding all the mysteries of the planet we live on.
Related | Do you know: When will the sun die?
Do you know: What is the oldest star in the universe?
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: ptivs2.edu.vn