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Seafloor Grows by Feet: Earth's Hidden Process Revealed
8 Jul
Summary
- Scientists observed a large-scale seafloor spreading event for the first time.
- Earthquakes added more than three feet of new seafloor in the Indian Ocean.
- An observatory detected detailed seismic data of the ridge collapse and separation.
Scientists have successfully documented a significant seafloor spreading event in the Indian Ocean, an elusive process where tectonic plates separate, allowing new crust to form. For the first time, a series of earthquakes in 2024 caused the seafloor ridge to collapse by approximately 13 feet and its sides to separate by more than three feet, adding over three feet of new ocean floor.
This remarkable observation was made possible by a recently deployed observatory, OHA-GEODAMS, consisting of 15 monitoring stations. These instruments captured detailed seismic data, including sound waves from earthquakes and geophysical changes at the seafloor. The data revealed the intricate process, starting with high-pressure magma pockets deep within the Earth, leading to crustal collapse and subsequent seafloor spreading.
The research team, led by Jean-Yves Royer, was fortunate to have their equipment in place just two months before the event. This expedition, part of a three-year experiment, is now collecting data until 2027, offering invaluable insights into the dynamic nature of Earth's crust.
