A recent study reveals that the impressive cliffs and towering plateaus are caused by the same wave that rises in the Earth's mantle as continents drift apart.
Geologists from the University of Southampton (UK) discovered that the high plateaus found within continents are formed by processes taking place deep inside the Earth, hundreds of kilometers from where they originate.
Thomas Gernon, the lead author of the study, explains that the divergence of continents triggers a wave in the Earth's mantle
The mantle is the layer between the Earth's crust and core, consisting of viscous silicate rocks. It plays a crucial role in plate tectonics.. This wave slowly moves deep into the continent over tens of millions of years, leading to the uplift of plateaus.
The scientists examined three well-known coastal escarpmentsEscarpments are steep slopes or cliffs that often form along coastlines or at plateau boundaries and can extend over long distances. that formed during the breakup of the last supercontinent, GondwanaGondwana was an ancient supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras, encompassing regions that are now South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, India, and Arabia.. They utilized topographic maps and computer modeling to illustrate the relationship between continental rifts and the formation of escarpments.
The researchers studied escarpments along the coast of India (Western Ghats), in Brazil (Brazilian Highlands), and the Great Escarpment of South Africa. These escarpments stretch thousands of kilometers, while the interior plateaus can rise by a kilometer or more.
Analysis of mineral data showed that the uplift and erosion of the plateaus occurred simultaneously with the movement of the mantle wave deep beneath the surface. This process was extremely slow, with the wave advancing only 15-20 kilometers per million years.
Gernon suggests that this theory may explain the formation of other regions with escarpments and plateaus, such as in North and South Carolina or south of Cameroon. However, older formations might be less noticeable due to prolonged erosion.
The researchers previously found that the same process of supercontinent breakup and mantle waves also influences diamond eruptions from the Earth's center.
The study has been published in the journal Nature.
Source: Livescience
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