Continental Mantle Earthquakes

Continental Mantle Earthquakes Latest News

Recently the Stanford researchers have produced the first global map of a rare type of earthquake i. e Continental mantle earthquakes.

About Continental Mantle Earthquakes

• These are seismic events which originate in the mantle beneath continents.
• Origin: Unlike most earthquakes, which originate in the Earth’s cold, brittle crust at depths of around 10 to 29 kilometres, mantle earthquakes often occur more than 80 km below the Mohorovičić discontinuity (boundary between the crust and the mantle).
• Impact: They are too deep to cause much shaking or danger at Earth’s surface.
• Occurrence: They occur worldwide but are regionally clustered, particularly beneath the Himalayas in southern Asia and the Bering Strait between Asia and North America. 
• Significance: The new map will help scientists learn more about the mechanics of mantle earthquakes.

What is Mohorovičić Discontinuity?

• It is the boundary lying between the crust and the mantle of the earth across which seismic waves change velocities.
• It is located approximately 24 miles below the earth’s surface and 6 miles below the oceanic floor, a distance which varies from place to place.
• The discontinuity was named after Croatian seismologist and geophysicist Andrija Mohorovicic who pioneered its discovery in 1909.

Source: DTE

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