Water in depth of the Earth

2003/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Geologia

For the first time they have seen that there is water below the upper layers of the mantle. The mantle is the layer placed between the heart and skin of the Earth. In the upper layer of the mantle there is water filtered by the ranges of oceanic plates, but scientists did not know how much water passed to the lower layers.

Now, at the Zurich Institute of Technology, they have seen that water descends to a greater depth than expected: At a depth of 400-700 km. To reach this conclusion, seismic waves under the Mediterranean have been analyzed.