A previously unknown layer of partially molten rock has been detected beneath Earth’s crust. The discovery could help scientists learn more about the motions of Earth’s tectonic plates.

Subduction zones, where one tectonic plate dives underneath another, drive the world’s most devastating earthquakes and ...

Within just a few million years, the continental plates begin to bend and squish toward each other. Around 200 million years ...

"The molten layer is located about 100 miles from the surface and is part of the asthenosphere, which sits under the Earth’s tectonic plates in the upper mantle," a UT press release notes.

The modern understanding of the plate tectonic cycle predicts that remnants of submerged plates will be found near subduction zones. However, a new high-resolution model shows that these remnants ...

A mineral produced by plate tectonics has a global cooling effect. ScienceDaily . Retrieved June 2, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2023 / 11 / 231130113040.htm ...