Two perplexing structures called ‘lava puddles’ deep inside the Earth may be ancient remnants of the early planet, offering new insights into the origin of life, said an article in Space.com.
According to research published in “Nature Geoscience”, these gigantic “lava puddles” are not random formations but potential fingerprints of Earth’s history.
The Anomaly
Located 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometres) beneath the surface, two continent-sized blobs cling to the Earth’s core. One sits beneath the Pacific Ocean, and the other lies under the African continent.
Scientists identified these structures by measuring seismic waves travelling through the planet. As these waves pass through the anomalies—known as large low-shear-velocity provinces and ultra-low-velocity zones—they slow down dramatically. This indicates that the structures possess a composition distinct from the surrounding mantle.
Origins
Current theories of planetary evolution suggest that as Earth’s early magma ocean cooled billions of years ago, the mantle should have settled into distinct layers. However, the existence of these amorphous structures challenges that model.
Yoshinori Miyazaki, a geodynamicist at Rutgers University and the study’s lead author, suggests the answer involves the Earth’s core. The researchers propose that silicon and magnesium leaked from the core into the mantle, creating a chemical mixture that cooled unevenly. These “lava puddles” are likely the remnants of this “basal magma ocean.”
The study recently published on Space.com argues that these deep-earth interactions played a crucial role in the planet’s development. The core-mantle exchange may have influenced the Earth’s cooling process, its volcanic activity and the development of the atmosphere.
These factors are essential for explaining why the planet became capable of supporting life.
“If we can understand why they exist, we can understand how our planet formed and why it became habitable,” Miyazaki stated.
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