Is Earth’s Crust Secretly Oozing into the Planet’s Depths?
Crinkles and divots found on Türkiye’s Central Anatolian Plateau provide the first clues to a newly discovered phenomenon beneath Earth’s surface.
Lithospheric Dripping: How Earth’s Crust Oozes into the Mantle
Beneath the Konya Basin, Earth’s crust is undergoing a process called lithospheric dripping, where dense, heated crust slowly sinks into the mantle. This gradual descent reshapes not only the basin but also the entire plateau that surrounds it.
Satellite Data Unveils Subtle Signs of Dripping Crust
Julia Andersen, a geophysicist at the University of Toronto, and her team identified a seismic anomaly in the upper mantle beneath the Konya Basin. “We observed a circular feature at the Konya Basin where the crust is subsiding, which led us to detect high-density material deep beneath the surface, suggesting a mantle lithospheric drip,” Andersen explains.
The Gooey Descent: What Happens When Earth’s Crust Begins to Drip?
When Earth’s crust reaches a high enough temperature, it begins to soften and drip, much like honey oozing downward. As this drip forms, it pulls the crust down with it, creating a depression at the surface. Once the drop detaches, the crust rebounds, causing widespread uplifting.
Konya Basin: A Basin in Rebound Phase or a New Drip?
The broader Central Anatolian Plateau has been slowly rising, gaining a kilometer in height over the past 10 million years due to the release of a molten drip into the mantle. Yet, the Konya Basin is sinking at a rate of 20 millimeters per year, suggesting the formation of a new drip in progress.
The Domino Effect: Drips Leading to More Drips
Earth scientist Russell Pysklywec elaborates on the phenomenon: “What we’re seeing is that lithospheric dripping is not a single event. The initial drip triggered subsequent drips, causing the strange subsidence of the Konya Basin amid the plateau’s uplift.”
Lab Experiments Confirm Lithospheric Drip Dynamics
The team replicated the process in a lab by creating a model using a silicone polymer to mimic Earth’s mantle and crust. As expected, a secondary drip formed soon after the first drip, pulling the surface downward without horizontal movement, matching the geologic behavior of the Konya Basin.
Source: Is Earth’s Crust Secretly Oozing into the Planet’s Depths?
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