Two massive points in the Earth’s mantle confuse scientists with their amazing properties

The earth is layered like an onion, with a thin outer crust, a thick and sticky mantle, a liquid outer core, and a solid inner core. In the mantle, there are two massive point-like structures, roughly on either side of the planet. The points, officially called Large Low Speed ​​Provinces (LLSVP), are the size of a continent and 100 times higher than Mount Everest. One is located under the African continent, the other under the Pacific Ocean.

Using instruments that measure seismic waves, scientists know that these two droplets have complex shapes and structures, but despite their remarkable properties, little is known about why or what causes them to exist.

Arizona State University scientists Qian Yuan and Mingming Li of the College of Earth and Space Exploration set out to learn more about these two points using geodynamic modeling and analyzes of published seismic surveys. Through their research, they were able to determine the maximum height the droplets reach and how the size and density of the droplets, as well as the surrounding viscosity in the mantle, can control their height. Their research was recently published in