A Massive, Never-Before-Seen Rock Structure Found Beneath Bermuda Is Rewriting Earth’s Geological Story | World News

The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle is one of the most sensational topics on our planet. It has inspired many thrillers and continues to fascinate science enthusiasts. The mystery itself refers to a large number of ships and aircraft that have supposedly disappeared without explanation in an area between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, fueling legends of sea monsters, aliens or Atlantis. However, official sources refute supernatural theories, saying that these disappearances are attributed to natural factors and human error.

Now, in the latest breakthrough, scientists have discovered a massive 12.4-mile-thick (20-kilometer) sheet of rock buried beneath the ocean crust beneath Bermuda; This is a feature found nowhere else on Earth. The structure is so extraordinary that it is forcing geologists to reconsider what lies beneath one of the Atlantic’s most enigmatic regions.

“Normally, once you pass through the oceanic crust, you would expect to hit the mantle,” said William Frazer, a seismologist at Carnegie Science in Washington, D.C., and the study’s lead author. “But underneath Bermuda, underneath the crust, inside the tectonic plate, there’s a completely different layer.”

A Clue to Bermuda’s Biggest Geological Puzzle

The origin of this massive layer remains unclear, but scientists believe it may finally explain a long-standing mystery: why Bermuda sits above a high ocean wave. Although the ocean floor beneath the island is approximately 1,640 feet (500 meters) higher than the surrounding seafloor, no volcanic activity has occurred there for approximately 31 million years.

According to the research team, Bermuda’s last eruption may have injected mantle rock into the crust, where it cooled and solidified. This frozen material now acts like a floating “raft” that sustains the ocean floor long after volcanic activity has ceased.

Why Doesn’t Bermuda Behave Like Other Islands?

Island chains like Hawaii typically form from mantle hotspots, columns of hot rock rising from deep within the Earth. These hot spots create volcanoes and lift the crust, but the wave often collapses when the tectonic plates move away.

However, Bermuda breaks this rule.

Even though there was no eruption for millions of years, ocean waves did not subside. While scientists debate what lies beneath the island, there is no evidence of active volcanism today, making the newly discovered structure even more confusing.

How Did Scientists Find the Hidden Layer?

To uncover what lies beneath Bermuda, Frazer and co-author Jeffrey Park, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Yale University, analyzed seismic waves from powerful earthquakes around the world. These waves were recorded by a seismic station in Bermuda, allowing researchers to map Earth’s interior down to about 31 miles (50 kilometers) below the island.

When seismic waves suddenly changed speed, scientists detected the presence of an unusually thick, low-density rock layer; This was something that had never been observed beneath other ocean regions. Their findings were published November 28 in Geophysical Research Letters.

A Remnant from Earth’s Ancient Past?

Geologists not involved in the research believe this buried material may be a remnant of Bermuda’s volcanic past. The structure may still support the island’s high position in the Atlantic, says geologist Sarah Mazza of Smith College.

Mazza’s own research suggests that Bermuda’s lavas are unusually low in silica and rich in carbon; This is a sign that the material originates from deep within the mantle. This carbon may have been pushed downward during the formation of the supercontinent Pangea hundreds of millions of years ago.

Unlike islands in the Pacific or Indian oceans, Bermuda is located in the Atlantic, a relatively young ocean formed by the splitting of Pangea. This ancient tectonic history may be the key reason why Bermuda is so geologically unique.

“The fact that this region was once the heart of a supercontinent is probably a big reason why we’re seeing something so unusual,” Mazza said.

Is Bermuda Really Unique?

Frazer is currently investigating other islands around the world to determine whether similar hidden layers exist or whether Bermuda is truly beyond Earth.

“Studying extraordinary places like Bermuda helps us understand what is normal and what is rare on our planet,” he said. “And sometimes the strangest places reveal the most important clues about how the Earth really works.”

(This article is for general information purposes only. Zee News does not guarantee its accuracy or reliability.)