When you buy through our articles links, Future and its syndication partners can earn commissions.
Researchers found an anomaly of initial satellites that were active from 2002 to 2017. | Credit: NASA/JPL
According to a recent study, satellites found a strange gravity signal to the coast of Africa nearly 20 years ago, indicating that something unusual happened deeply on the planet to distort its gravity field.
A large gravitational anomaly lasted about two years in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. He reached the highest point in 2007. In January, Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone in the same month (though of course there was no connection between the two events).
Researchers recently discovered a signal by analyzing the data collected Restoration of gravity and climate experiment (Grace) satellites 2003-2015. The gravitational anomaly occurred at about the same time as the geomagnetic “twitching” – a sudden change in the magnetic field of the Earth.
Researchers suspect that strange anomaly and jerking have caused the previously unknown geological process. Their conclusions, published on August 28. In the magazine Geophysical research lettersshowed that the shift in the minerals could have caused a rapid redistribution of mass in a deep mantle, near the core, changing the magnetic field of the Earth.
Co -author of the study Mioara Mandea – Live Science, a researcher of the French National Space Studies Center (Cnes) and the main European Research Council, said that she initially questioned the validity of the alarm.
“How often in the case of research, my initial answer was a survey: Is the signal sure how it can be confirmed and how should it be interpreted?” Mandea said email. In the letter. “Although the result and its publication were certainly a source of satisfaction, the dominant idea was to take into account other actions and possible consequences.”
Grace’s satellites were a pair of identical spacecraft acting as part of a joint mission between NASA and German Aviation and Space Center (DLR). The researchers have used these satellites that have been active since 2002. Until 2017 Completed fuel to measure changes in the gravity of the earth. The satellites moved together (behind each other) around the Earth, and the researchers measure the distance between two objects to look for changes that occurred due to changes in the gravity force NASA;
Such Variations of gravity Often caused by changes in mass concentration – more mass means greater difficulty. For example, water currents change mass in the ocean, which can cause localized changes in the gravity field of the Earth. In the new study, researchers scrubbed grace data on anomalous gravity signals, which potentially appeared deep in the ground, not due to or near the water passing on or near the surface.
The signal was north and southwest-oriented with gravity anomaly, stretching about 4,350 miles (7000 kilometers)-to apply the entire African continent-long-2006 to 2008, based on the study.
Related stories
—Aart the magnetic field weakens – the magnetic crystals of lost civilizations could keep the key to understanding why
—The Magnetic Anomaly found deep below New Zealand Rotorua
—Scientists drill the longest piece of mantle of the Earth from the underwater hill near Lost City
Researchers still learn about the deep mantle and the boundary between Uoline layer and the liquid external core of our planetBut the lower mantle section is essentially formed Magnesium silicate (Mgsio3). The authors of the study suggested that the mass redistributions they attribute to the signal Transformation of the post-transovskitis phase In this lower department of the mantle, when the structure of magnesium silicate changed under pressure, changing the mass deep in the ground.
Mandea noted that the main message of the study was that the Earth is complicated and that different data sets and methods are needed to understand its internal processes.
“Earth is a complex system that needs to be explored using various data sets and complementary analysis methods,” Mandea said. “This synergy allows us to reveal and better understand the hidden processes in the deep interior of the Earth.”