Geologists have uncovered the remains of a massive tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean, a plate that had been hidden for ...

A study reveals that the oldest continental crust on Earth is slowly being broken up by shifting tectonic forces.

Our results demonstrate that long-term recycling of dense oceanic crust naturally leads to the formation of thermochemical piles with seismic characteristics similar to the LLSVPs. The extent to which ...

Subduction of oceanic lithosphere transports surface H2O into the mantle. Recent studies show that dense SiO2 in the form of stishovite, an abundant mineral in subducted oceanic crust at depths ...

The Pacific structure appears to have 50 percent more fresh oceanic crust mixed through it than the African province, the researchers found. That makes for a greater difference in composition between ...

Frontiers Partial Melting of Lower Oceanic Crust Gabbro: … Introduction Mid ocean ridge basalts (MORB) cover 60% of the Earth's surface area.Although MOR lavas do not evolve significantly and largely ...

The oldest oceanic plates on Earth date back about 200 million years. In contrast, the crust of continents lies under shallow oceans and land. It is highly variable in composition and age.

Giant creatures evolve beneath the ocean's surface. Their discovery changes our perception of underwater life. At depths of over 8,200 feet (2,500 meters), scientists have uncovered a universe teeming ...

Many of us look to the stars for answers to life’s most complex questions. But actually, some of the greatest mysteries lie ...

This study explores the mechanism of abiotic organic synthesis in the oceanic crust, a process crucial for deep carbon cycle, deep biosphere, and potentially life's origin. We reveal a unique link ...

Magnetic data suggest Seattle's fault line formed 55 million years ago, when the southern half of a subducting chain of volcanic islands piled onto the continent and tore apart from the northern half.

Iron and magnesium are very common inside the Earth and in the oceanic crust. When they are found on rocks on the continent, it suggests that the continental crust at that location at one point rifted ...