Scientists Say Deepest Earthquake Detected Should Be Impossible

[ad_1]

iStockphoto

Scientists are baffled by the earthquake that set a record for the deepest seismic disturbance ever recorded. Experts say the earthquake – detected off Japan – was theoretically impossible based on widely accepted research Read more science news here

It’s been nearly two years since most of us took a crash course on what it’s like to be in a movie that begins with much of the world choosing to ignore the hum about a mysterious airborne disease responsible for triggering a health crisis in the Chinese city that has been put on lockdown. Hope to stop the spread (a strategy – as we know well by now – not quite implemented as hoped).

Based on what we’ve learned from this situation, I feel that it no longer hurts to err on the side of caution in the hope that we are not doomed to repeat a similarly disastrous scenario – which is why I feel we may want to pay attention to a new report from Live Science on the earthquake off the coast of Japan in 2015.

In June of that year, researchers monitoring a 7.9-magnitude seismic event that struck the Bonin Islands detected a slight aftershock that originated 467 miles below the planet’s surface — a depth that set a new record for the deepest earthquake ever observed. While it may not seem like an incredibly newsworthy development, it came as a bit of a surprise to experts who say the disruption was theoretically impossible based on all that was previously known about the conditions required for such a disruption to occur.

I’d recommend checking out the above article if you’re looking for an in-depth explanation of their reasoning, which revolves around the firm belief that the nature of the rocks in the Earth’s lower mantle (where the earthquake originated) makes them impervious to the effects of water that cause earthquakes near the surface by seeping into more bodies porosity and weakening of its structure.

As things stand currently, there are a few operating theories. One is that the researchers incorrectly estimated the depth of the boundary between the upper and lower mantle, while the other is based on the assumption that some minerals at depth were subjected to unforeseen conditions that made them susceptible to cracking.

Of course, there is also the possibility that the initial earthquake raised one of the ancient greats from their eternal slumber and it is only a matter of time until a great indescribable horror beyond the comprehension of all except those unfortunate enough to watch his unbridled rage rise from the depths of the Pacific, but I think we must Just have to wait and see.

.

[ad_2]