Earth's crust is 'dripping' under Turkey

Satellite data has unveiled a captivating geological phenomenon beneath the Central Anatolian Plateau of Türkiye — the Konya Basin, shaped by dripping of Earth’s crust.

This hidden geological marvel has intrigued scientists for years, prompting further investigation into its underlying causes.

After extensive analysis and data collection, a comprehensive study has finally revealed the secrets of the basin’s mysterious subsidence.

The research, led by a team of dedicated earth scientists from the University of Toronto, is casting new light on the fascinating dynamics of our planet’s plate tectonics.

Dripping of Earth’s crust

The scientists have successfully combined experimental simulations with extensive geological, geophysical, and geodetic data.

This comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach has allowed them to explore more deeply the complex forces shaping the Earth’s crust.

By using cutting-edge technologies and data from various sources, the experts were able to piece together the puzzle of the basin’s puzzling subsidence within the plateau’s rising interior.

Plate tectonics: Understanding the basics

Plate tectonics is the theory that explains how Earth’s outer layer, known as the lithosphere, is split into several big and small plates.

These tectonic plates float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere below and move slowly but steadily because of convection currents created by heat from Earth’s core.

This movement shapes the planet’s surface and is responsible for creating continents, mountains, and ocean basins.

At the edges where these plates meet, some pretty significant geological events happen. When plates pull apart, they create space for magma to rise and form new crust, leading to mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys.

When plates come together, one can be pushed beneath another in a process called subduction, which can create deep ocean trenches and volcanic activity. At transform boundaries, plates slide past each other, causing friction that triggers earthquakes.

Changing tectonic plate system

This fresh perspective not only sheds light on the dynamics at play in Türkiye but also provides invaluable insights into a new category of plate tectonics.

These findings have far-reaching implications, particularly for planets that lack Earth’s familiar tectonic plate system, such as Mars and Venus.

Understanding how similar processes may occur on other celestial bodies opens the door to future planetary studies, expanding the scope of geological research beyond Earth.

Stages of the crust dripping

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, reveals that the basin’s subsidence is primarily driven by a novel process known as multi-stage lithospheric dripping.

This term refers to the instability within the rocky material that makes up Earth’s crust and upper mantle, which causes dense rock fragments beneath the surface to gradually detach and sink into the more fluid layer of the planet’s mantle.

The instability not only reshapes the subsurface but also triggers the formation of significant surface features, including major landforms such as basins and mountainous folds.

Satellite observations

“Looking at the satellite data, we observed a circular feature at the Konya Basin where the crust is subsiding or the basin is deepening,” noted Julia Andersen, who led the research.

“This prompted us to look at other geophysical data beneath the surface where we saw a seismic anomaly in the upper mantle and a thickened crust, telling us there is high-density material there and indicating a likely mantle lithospheric drip.”

Beyond Türkiye’s plateau

Reflecting on their study, the scientists found parallels to their investigation in the formation of the Arizaro Basin in the Andes Mountains of South America.

This indicates that the phenomenon of lithospheric dripping is not localized but can occur anywhere on Earth, elucidating tectonic processes usually found in mountain plateau regions.

The Central Anatolian Plateau has risen by approximately one kilometer over the last 10 million years due to lithospheric dripping, according to past studies.

As the thickened lithosphere dripped below the region, it formed a basin at the surface, which later rose when the weight below detached and sank further into the mantle’s depths.

Lab investigations on the dripping crust

In their quest to better understand these processes, the researchers recreated the dripping process in laboratory experiments. They designed analogue models that imitated the potential evolution of the process.

Filling a plexiglass tank with a silicone polymer fluid to represent Earth’s fluid lower mantle, they added a mixture of this fluid with clay to replicate the upper-most solid section of the mantle, and finally a layer of ceramic and silica spheres to act as Earth’s crust.