The giant impact that formed the Moon may also have led to extrastrong mantle plumes that enabled the first subduction event, kick-starting Earth’s unique system of sliding plates.
Earth's mantle
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Mantle Movements Shape Earth’s Surface
Two new data sets help researchers tease apart the influences of plate tectonics and mantle movement on surface topography.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mantle Heat May Have Boosted Earth’s Crust 3 Billion Years Ago
Information from igneous zircon molecules gives researchers new insight into the workings of inner Earth.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
What’s Hot in Iceland? A Close Up View of Hotspot-Ridge Interaction
New seafloor magnetic data help scientists retrace the evolution of the Reykjanes Ridge, lending insights into the effects of a mantle plume on mid-ocean ridge organization and evolution.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A Strong Pacific Plate Bends Under the Hawaiian Volcanic Chain
Two seismic studies reveal the volcanic loads and resulting flexure of the Pacific plate at the Hawaiian Ridge and, surprisingly, show no magmatic underplating.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Nature of Mantle Flow May Depend on the Type of Slab Subducting
Researchers tease apart the links between slabs and mantle flow near subduction zones, upending some traditional views of subduction-induced mantle flow.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Do Some Cratons Have Soggy Bottoms?
Long-persistent stable cratons bear much of the deep-time geologic record, and a new study combines seismic and petrological data to reveal how interactions with mantle fluids can shape their evolution.
Posted inOpinions
A Transformative Carbon Sink in the Ocean?
Water-rock reactions in some hydrothermal systems produce both hydrogen, which could be tapped for clean energy, and alkaline solutions that could help draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Seafloor Shapes on the Flanks of Mid-Ocean Ridges Linked to Magma Supply
New research suggests the source of morphologic variation on mid-ocean ridges might be deeper than scientists thought.