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Llsvps

All articles tagged with #llsvps

Ancient Mantle Islands Found Deep Inside Earth Redefine Mantle Dynamics
science1 month ago

Ancient Mantle Islands Found Deep Inside Earth Redefine Mantle Dynamics

Two continent-sized regions deep in Earth’s mantle, called Large Low Seismic Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs), lie about 1,200 miles below the surface and rise roughly 620 miles, making them far larger than any surface mountain. They’re hotter and ancient, likely stable for hundreds of millions of years, and their existence suggests the mantle is not as well-mixed as previously thought. Seismic analyses show they dampen waves less than surrounding slabs, a property linked to unusually large mineral grains, reshaping ideas about mantle convection and the origin of mantle plumes.

Deep Mantle Giants Have Shaped Earth’s Magnetic Field for Millions of Years
science2 months ago

Deep Mantle Giants Have Shaped Earth’s Magnetic Field for Millions of Years

Geologists report that two massive, buried mantle anomalies called large low-shear-velocity provinces (LLSVPs) have modulated Earth's magnetic field for about 265 million years by creating temperature- and density-driven flow differences that alter the outer-core liquid iron; computer simulations show only models including LLSVPs reproduce observed magnetic irregularities, with implications for ancient continental configurations and climate.

Possible Traces of an Ancient Planet Found in Earth's Core
science2 years ago

Possible Traces of an Ancient Planet Found in Earth's Core

Two large structures, known as large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs), located beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean, could be the remains of an ancient planet that hit the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago, according to the "giant impact hypothesis". These structures occupy around six per cent of the world's entire volume, and seismic tomography has shown that they are made of something different than the surrounding lower mantle. The origin of these structures remains a mystery, but studying Theia has offered important insights into how the possible collision might have kickstarted key plate tectonic and mantle motion inside our planet.

Possible discovery of ancient planet remnants deep within Earth.
science2 years ago

Possible discovery of ancient planet remnants deep within Earth.

Two large structures, known as large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs), located beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean, could be the remains of an ancient planet that hit the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. These structures occupy around six per cent of the world’s entire volume, and seismic tomography has shown that they are made of something different than the surrounding lower mantle. While there is no direct way of observing the Earth’s core, studies into Theia have offered important insights into how the possible collision might have kickstarted key plate tectonic and mantle motion inside our planet.

Possible discovery of ancient planet remnants deep within Earth.
science2 years ago

Possible discovery of ancient planet remnants deep within Earth.

Two large structures, known as large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs), located beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean, could be the remains of an ancient planet that hit the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. These structures occupy around six per cent of the world’s entire volume, and seismic tomography has shown that they are made of something different than the surrounding lower mantle. While there is no direct way of observing the Earth’s core, studies into Theia have offered important insights into how the possible collision might have kickstarted key plate tectonic and mantle motion inside our planet.

Uncovering Earth's Mysterious Subterranean Mountains
science2 years ago

Uncovering Earth's Mysterious Subterranean Mountains

Scientists have discovered two large and mysterious structures, known as large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs), deep within the Earth's mantle. These blobs occupy around three to nine percent of the volume of the Earth and are denser than the surrounding mantle. One hypothesis is that they are piles of oceanic crust that have been subducted and accumulated over billions of years, while another theory suggests that they are chunks of an ancient planet, Theia, that collided with Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. Techniques for investigating beneath the Earth's surface are continually improving, and hopefully, we will soon have a better understanding of these mysterious structures.