How deep is the deepest earthquake ever detected?

[ad_1]

Japan has seen its fair share of disasters, both natural and man-made, and a particular earthquake six years ago left a deep impact (literally).

The very high-altitude earthquake was recently described in the journal Geophysical Research Letters and talks about the series of severe tremors that shook the Earth’s surface six years ago. The first tremor struck off the coast of Japan’s remote Bonin Islands, with a magnitude of 7.9 and up to 680 kilometers underground, making it one of the deepest earthquakes of this magnitude. After the first tremor, this was followed by a series of aftershocks that have been recorded as the deepest earthquake to date. This huge earthquake was felt by all 47 prefectures of Japan, and this earthquake was the first in 130 years to keep records.

It was estimated that the earthquake struck 751 km below the surface in the lower mantle where earthquakes were never recorded. In the past, scientists recorded earthquakes in the lower mantle but were unable to determine the exact location on the layer. “This is by far the best evidence for an earthquake in the lower mantle,” says Douglas Wiens, a seismologist who specializes in deep earthquakes at Washington University in St. Louis.

In Japan, the lower mantle is believed to begin at a depth of about 700 kilometers while it is believed to sit at an average of 660 kilometers around the world. The team of scientists detected several aftershocks around this depth while some believe that more research is needed to confirm whether the earthquake was real and actually struck in the lower mantle.

While deep earthquakes don’t cause that much damage at the surface level, scientists can tell about the different ways our planet is moving beneath the surface by studying the effects of these aftershocks. Seismic vibrations are helping scientists learn more about the inner workings of the planet, and an earthquake in the lower mantle could offer a new perspective on the underworld.

[ad_2]