Worldwide, many underground discoveries change what we know about the area above them. For example, In Egypt, the structure under the Giza pyramid shook the scientific community.
It seems that the land under North America is not very strong either. Defer A study published in Nature Geoscience On March 28, 2025, the continent was actually falling.
Research shows that the parts of the stone under North America are dripping. Why? Scientists suspect it is due to sinking what is left from the old tectonic plate inside the planet’s coat. This paper marks the first time the phenomenon, or “cratonic thinning” as it is called, has been documented in real time.
Today, experts can see such incidents, giving them unique opportunities to not only see rare geological moments but also learn more about the continental life. Perhaps the future of North America will be clearer.
Relevant
What happened to North America (or vice versa)?
Land literally falls from the bottom of the people
“Tomography full -wave seismic cratonic thinning under North America in line with slab caused by slab“As the study is called, it is the work done by a variety of teams. Jackson Geosciences School and the National Science Foundation support research.
Meanwhile, the writers and colleagues involved include experts from the University of Nevada, Reno, the University of Science and South Technology, and the University of Hawai’i in Mānoa.
Probably thanks to the different perspectives of such a spread community, from Texas to Hawaii, the team found that North America collapsed in what was known as “cratonic depletion.” Craton is a continental piece. These ancient stones have long been considered very stable and long-lasting, alive for billions of years. When changes such as thinning occur, these properties are endangered, and the entire layer of craton can be lost.
Tectonic plate boundaries on the world map
This thinning occurs mainly below United States Midwestern. At the top of the Midwest, the new scientists are stumbling on another shocking discovery below the surface. “Pompeii of the Great Lakes” holds a secret to live 10,000 years ago.
Don’t worry about this dripping phenomenon. North America will not fall, at least in the near future, or in a significant way on the surface. The landscape will look just like this happens below at a very slow rate.
Relevant
Why is North America dripping to Earth?
It has to do with a continental coat
The cratonic thinning of the continent is most likely due to the Farallon plate, the researchers said. For 200 million years, the ocean tectonic plate has long subducting, or slides under, North American tectonic plate. Scientists conclude that this movement causes stone or craton under the continent to drop.
Think of two pieces of toast, and imagine slowly rubbing one at the bottom. Little Shrumbs will fall from the top of the toast as you move under the chip on the fragile surface. That’s what happened on a larger scale to the continent.
It is concentrated in the middle of the United States as this is the place where Craton is being eaten most. However, this effect is all over the continent, so even though it is not very dramatic, say, Canada or New England, thinning also occurs in these areas.
Tectonic plate activity plays a major role in East Coast life today. As the ocean increases due to climate change, many areas along the right side of the United States are also submerged. For this reason, some of the most historic locations in the US, such as American first English solution, threatened.
Risky places on the east coast
|
Affected by a growing sink and ocean |
New York, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia |
|
Affected by the growing ocean |
Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire |
Scientists believe that this dripping will stop as soon as the tectonic plate itself goes down enough deep inside the coat.
Relevant
Why is this driving in North America a big problem?
This is the first discovery for geoscience members
Experts who investigate the life expectancy of the continent are in view of the incident of North America. Since this is the first time cratonic thinning has been identified as it has happened, it has given scientists a special opportunity to study it in real time.
These findings also help humans better understand the evolution of continents and tectonic plates on a smaller scale. As a land submission on the east coast and Mystery liquid pool in Alaska Only a few immediate threats faced by North America, such a less threatening discovery can be very valuable in understanding them.
“This kind of thing is important if we want to understand how the planet has grown for a long time. It helps us understand how you make the continent, how you break it, and how you recycle them [into the Earth]? “Said Thorsten Becker, the author of the study and a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and Jackson School and the Institute of Geophysics, in a statement