Fharallon slab under the middle -oeste pulls the crust down, causing a widespread thinning

An underground structure under the United States Central was observed by dragging surface materials deeply to the Earth. This movement is linked to an old piece of crust housed far below the center -east. The researchers said this action is pulling rocks from all over the continent towards a funnel -shaped region. This process is believed to be causing parts of the crust, as the material is designed down. It was found that this phenomenon affects the areas beyond the immediate region.

Underground slab tied to the loss of crust under the middle

According to the to study Published in Nature GeoCence, the phenomenon was linked to the remains of a tectonic plate that has long been subduated known as the Farallon slab. This slab, which is about 660 kilometers below the surface, was identified as the driving force behind what scientists call cratonic thinning. Cratons are known to be the stable central regions of the continental crust and upper cloak that usually do not change.

The seismic mapping project was led by Junlin Hua during his post -doctoral work at the University of Texas in Austin. He now acts as a professor at China University of Science and Technology. In one declarationHua explained that a wide region is showing signs of thinning. He stated that the study presented a new explanation behind this change.

New seismic method discovers the “dripping” lithosphere

To observe the changes that occur below North AmericaThe researchers used a method known as inversion completely. This seismic image approach allowed them to map the subsurface in high details. According to Thorsten Becker, president of UT Austin Geophysics, this technique offered a better understanding of the bond between the regions of Mantle Deep and the lithosphere above.

Computer simulations were used to confirm the effect. When the slab was included, the downward movement was visible. When removed, this feature did not appear.