Deep Earth anomalies beneath the Pacific Ocean challenge long-held geological theories

01/16/2025 / By Kevin Hughes

Researchers have identified massive, unexplained structures deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, challenging existing theories about Earth’s formation and evolution. These anomalies, detected at depths of 900 to 1,200 kilometers, defy conventional plate tectonics explanations.
The discovery was made using full-waveform inversion (FWI), a cutting-edge seismic imaging technique that analyzes the complete spectrum of earthquake waves. This method, combined with the computational power of the Piz Daint supercomputer, provided unprecedented insights into Earth’s mantle.
The structures could be remnants of ancient silica-rich materials from Earth’s early mantle or zones of accumulated iron-rich rocks. Their presence in regions without recent tectonic activity has left scientists puzzled about their origins and composition.
The findings suggest that Earth’s mantle is far more complex and dynamic than previously thought, challenging the idea that seismic anomalies are primarily linked to subduction zones.
While the discovery is groundbreaking, it highlights gaps in current understanding. Further research using advanced computational models and imaging techniques is needed to uncover the material properties and origins of these structures, offering new insights into Earth’s geological history and ongoing processes.

Researchers have identified massive, mysterious structures deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, challenging fundamental theories about Earth’s formation and evolution.

Using cutting-edge seismic imaging technology, a team of geophysicists from ETH Zurich and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) uncovered anomalies in Earth’s mantle that defy conventional plate tectonics explanations. Their findings were published in November in Scientific Reports.

The study authors’ findings suggest these structures could be remnants of ancient materials or zones of accumulated iron-rich rocks, raising new questions about the planet’s geological history. The discovery, made possible by advanced computational techniques, underscores the complexity of Earth’s interior and opens a new chapter in the study of the planet’s deep past.

The discovery hinges on a sophisticated technique called full-waveform inversion (FWI), which analyzes the complete spectrum of seismic waves generated by earthquakes. Unlike traditional methods that focus on specific wave types, FWI captures a more comprehensive picture of Earth’s interior. This approach, combined with the computational power of the Piz Daint supercomputer in Switzerland, allowed researchers to detect anomalies in regions where they were least expected.

“It’s like a doctor who has been examining blood circulation with ultrasound for decades and finds arteries exactly where he expects them,” explained ETH professor Andreas Fichtner, a key figure in the study. “Then, if you give him a new, better examination tool, he suddenly sees an artery in the buttock that doesn’t really belong there. That’s exactly how we feel about the new findings.”

The most striking anomaly was found beneath the western Pacific Ocean, at depths of 900 to 1,200 kilometers. This region, far from any known tectonic plate boundaries, shows seismic wave patterns similar to those found near subduction zones, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another. However, the Pacific region has no recent history of such activity, leaving scientists puzzled about the origins of these structures.

A “lost world” beneath the ocean floor

The discovery has led researchers to speculate about the existence of a “lost world” deep within Earth’s mantle. These structures could be remnants of ancient silica-rich materials that have survived since the mantle’s formation approximately four billion years ago. Alternatively, they might be zones where iron-rich rocks have accumulated over billions of years due to the mantle’s constant churning. (Related: Mantle mystery: Geologists don’t know what to make of two continent-sized mountains found beneath the Earth’s crust.)

“Apparently, such zones in the Earth’s mantle are much more widespread than previously thought,” said Thomas Schouten, the study’s lead author. “With the new high-resolution model, we can see such anomalies everywhere in the Earth’s mantle. But we don’t know exactly what they are or what material is creating the patterns we have uncovered.”

The findings challenge the long-held assumption that seismic anomalies are primarily linked to subduction zones. Instead, they suggest that Earth’s mantle is far more complex and dynamic than current models indicate.

While the discovery is groundbreaking, it also highlights the limitations of current scientific understanding. The researchers emphasize that their models only reveal wave speed patterns, which alone cannot fully explain the nature of these deep Earth structures. To unravel the mystery, scientists will need to delve deeper into the material properties behind these anomalies.

“We have to calculate the different material parameters that could generate the observed speeds of the different wave types,” Schouten explained. “Essentially, we have to dive deeper into the material properties behind the wave speed.”

Future research will require even more advanced computational models and imaging techniques. The team hopes to expand their knowledge of these zones by using FWI to analyze earthquake waves in even greater detail. This could provide insights into the composition and origins of these mysterious structures, shedding light on the processes that have shaped Earth’s interior over billions of years.

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Watch this video about seismic activity spreading worldwide.

This video is from the Alex Hammer channel on Brighteon.com.

Deep Earth anomalies beneath the Pacific Ocean challenge long-held geological theories

A “lost world” beneath the ocean floor

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