Scientists solve Bermuda mystery after discovering hidden structure below the ocean
Bermuda is a small group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean - and scientists have now made what appears to be a big historic breakthrough.
Scientists have determined why a small volcanic island in the middle of the ocean remains high above the ocean floor.
A hidden structure under Bermuda formed after the area's final volcanic eruption, which has secretly kept the island above the sea since prehistoric times, according to a team from Carnegie Institution of Washington and Yale University.
Bermuda is a small group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is home to about 64,000 people.
The reason why this popular holiday spot has remained above the ocean floor has long baffled scientists. Islands such as these generally need regular infusions of volcanic heat to keep them afloat.
The team, however, found an extra, hidden slab of rock sitting directly beneath the island’s normal ocean crust, the Mail reported. The about 12-mile-thick slab is lighter than the rock around it, causing it to float and keeping the entire area lifted up.
Researchers claim this lighter layer formed 30 to 35 million years ago when hot, melted rock from deep inside Earth rose up, spread out underneath the crust and then cooled and hardened in place.
Read more: Mysterious structure hidden beneath Bermuda 'unlike anything else on Earth'
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Most raised ocean areas rely on active volcanoes to stay high above the ocean, but Bermuda’s swell has been attributed to a previously unseen geological event. This has proven that ancient volcanic leftovers can keep islands in place.
Scientists used more than 20 years of natural earthquake vibrations to determine this. They processed hundreds of these earthquake signals to precisely map the depths and thicknesses of every rock layer down to more than 25 miles below the island.
Researcher William Frazer said in a statement: "Bermuda is an exciting place to study because a variety of its geologic features do not fit the model of a mantle plume, the classic way for deep material to be brought to the surface."
"This suggests that there are other convective processes within Earth’s mantle that have yet to be well understood."
The area is linked to several strange features, some of which distort the laws of gravity.
The Bermuda Rise is a giant underwater plateau stretching hundreds of miles across the sea floor.
This rise has mysteriously stayed elevated for millennia even though there are no active volcanoes or hot spots pushing it up today.
It has also has been connected to a gravitational anomaly where the pull of gravity is slightly weaker than expected because lighter rock hidden deep underneath makes the whole area more buoyant.
Another strange feature linked to the Bermuda Rise is the high-amplitude magnetic anomalies, which can make compasses and navigation equipment show bigger changes when planes or ships pass over the area. They are completely natural and harmless.
