What is the giant ‘gravity hole’ found in the Indian Ocean?

Indian scientists have discovered a giant anomaly in the Indian Ocean. This anomaly, known as a ‘gravitational hole’, is a giant hole in the gravitational field that covers more than three million square kilometers of ocean. This mysterious phenomenon is also known as the Indian Ocean Geoid or IOGL, where the Earth’s gravity is significantly lower than the global average. Low gravity causes the seabed to sink about 106 meters.

According to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, there is a huge ‘hole’ in the Indian Ocean because Earth’s gravity in this region is so low.#UPSC2023 #upc pic.twitter.com/ialmoXKQJX

– Sudarshan Gurjar (@SudarshanGeo)
July 6, 2023

This gravitational anomaly has puzzled scientists from all over the world for years. Recent studies conducted suggest that researchers now have a possible scientific explanation for what causes this gravitational hole.

Two researchers from the Center for Earth Science at the Indian Institute of Sciences, Debanjan Pal and Attreye Ghosh, offer an explanation.

The two researchers reconstructed plate tectonic movements over the past 140 million years and ran computer simulations to find the source of the gravity anomaly. According to research by Pal and Ghosh, also published in ‘Geophysical Research Letters’, the IOGL is the result of a major fault in the Earth’s mantle beneath the Indian Ocean. Through their research, they discovered that about 30 million years ago, the remnants of an ancient sea known as the Tethys Sea sank beneath Africa, creating what is now known as the “Graveyard Plate.” “. Parts of the oceanic plate sink below the African surface into the mantle, the layer below the Earth’s crust. This creates a strong downward motion of the molten rock in the mantle. To balance this downward motion, warmer and lighter mantle currents began to emerge beneath the Indian Ocean.

The rise of these hot clouds began about 20 million years ago. As the plumes moved below the lithosphere, the Earth’s outermost layer, and approached peninsular India, the gravity anomaly became stronger and more pronounced.

Although research has been done extensively, many scientists and researchers are still not convinced. Further studies and research are needed to fully understand the history and causes of this gravity crater.

This further shows that we do not even fully understand the mysteries of the planet we live on.

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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: newstars.edu.vn

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