A localized sinking of the Earth’s surface has been observed in the heart of Turkey. Experts suggest that subterranean mantle dynamics are reshaping the landscape below.
Turkey / © pixabay.com
The Konya Plain, situated in Central Anatolia, is undergoing significant depression, in contrast to the steady uplift of the surrounding high plain over geologic time. A recent study employing GNSS and InSAR satellite observations has verified that the sinking action is centered within the plain and is unrelated to fault line activity.
This information was disclosed by The Times of India.
Researchers combined satellite information with underground images, gravity studies, and lab-based models. The findings indicate occurrences originating far down within the lithosphere. Underneath the plain, subterranean irregularities were noticed at depths ranging from 50–80 km — an area of denser and colder lithosphere that could be descending into the mantle.
This occurrence is termed lithospheric drip flow: where the heavier, lower portions of the lithosphere detach and plunge deeper, they are capable of “tugging” the crust downward. According to the investigators, this is responsible for the present-day sinking of the Conjana Plain. Comparable happenings have previously been noted in the Sierra Nevada, and the Altiplano and Puna high plains.
While the entirety of the Central Anatolian High Plain remains elevated—possessing a crustal thickness of up to 40 km and a mean height of approximately 1.5–2 km—the Konya Depression exhibits dissimilar behavior. Surface examination reveals a local reduction in altitude by as much as 280 meters from the projected values.
Scientists highlight that this kind of depression may represent a concluding stage in a prolonged process of lithospheric alteration that has been molding the high plain for in excess of 10 million years. The fresh evidence illustrates that even in areas considered geologically “stable”, profound mantle phenomena persist in influencing the landscape.
By way of reminder, NASA announced the identification of an extraordinary event within the higher reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. The irregularity, detected by instruments aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is linked with the devastating Hurricane Helen.
Source: tsn.ua