Africa-Press – Cape verde. Located in the lowermost mantle on opposite sides of the Earth, the Large Low-Shear-Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) extend laterally for thousands of kilometres. Not much is known about these bizarre giants because scientists are not able to access them directly.
Scientists from Arizona State University claim that their new study on the Large Low-Shear-Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) sheds light on two mysterious blobs deep inside our planet. Using geodynamic modelling, the researchers were able to establish the LLSVPs’ height and density.
It turns out that the blob located beneath the African continent is around 1,000 kilometres higher than its sibling, which is located under the Pacific Ocean. Scientists say the difference in height could be explained by how dense the two giants are.
The one under Africa appears to be of a lower density than the blob under the Pacific Ocean, which researchers say indicates that they have a different composition and evolution.
The different composition of the LLVPs can be explained by their origin, although the scientific community has different opinions as to how the blobs came to be. According to one hypothesis, they are the remnants of a collision between Earth and the protoplanet Thea. According to another, the LLVPs were made from subducted tectonic plates that slip into the Earth’s mantle.
The scientists say the results of their study provide new insights on the nature of the Earth’s largest structures in the deep interior and their interaction with the surrounding mantle.
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