Interior rocks to Earth

2000/08/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Geologia

Geologists at the Queensland University of Australia have made a discovery on the island of Malaita in New Guinea, which helps us discover what is on the deep earth. In it fragments of garnet formed at 400 or 670 km of depth have been found, which were formed at a pressure of 250,000 times greater than in surface. The garnets are formed by a silicon mineral that forms at very high pressures and that 34 million years ago emerged as a result of an explosion or volcanic disaster.

The area so far on the boundary between the upper and lower mantle was known only by seismic waves, so the garnets found can offer geologists very valuable information.