Researchers say satellite data has revealed a geological oddity in South America unlike any seen on Earth, a phenomenon they\'ve dubbed the \"sombrero uplift.\" At the border of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile lies the Altiplano-Puna plateau in the central Andes region, home to the largest active magma body in Earth\'s continental crust. Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, say magma is forming a growing blob under the Earth\'s crust, pushing up Earth\'s surface across an area 62 miles wide while the surrounding area sinks. The unique geological phenomenon resembles the shape of a Mexican hat, leading researchers to describe it as the \"sombrero uplift.\" \"It\'s a subtle motion, pushing up little by little every day, but it\'s this persistence that makes this uplift unusual,\" UC Davis geophysics Professor Yuri Fialko said. \"Most other magmatic systems that we know about show episodes of inflation and deflation.\" The steady motion and sombrero-shaped deflection is likely being caused by a large blob of magma, geologically known as a \"diapir,\" forming on top of the Altiplano-Puna magma body, researchers said. Diapirs have been studied using geologic records in rocks frozen many millions of years ago, but the new study is the first to identify an active magma diapir rising through the crust at present day, a UC Davis release said Thursday.
GMT 11:16 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Oil slick off China coast trebles in sizeGMT 12:29 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Spotted hyena returns to Gabon park after 20 yearsGMT 11:18 2018 Friday ,19 January
China says air quality 'improved' in 2017GMT 23:57 2018 Thursday ,18 January
for Great Barrier Reef rescue ideasGMT 23:50 2018 Thursday ,18 January
1.5 C climate goal 'very unlikely' but doableGMT 12:18 2018 Thursday ,18 January
Worst-case global warming scenarios not credible: studyGMT 10:44 2018 Thursday ,18 January
Second giant panda cub born in MalaysiaGMT 08:06 2018 Tuesday ,16 January
Oil tanker's sinking off China raises environmental fears

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor