The abnormal air flow noticed off the coast of Panama has mobilized scientists. Investigating the cause of this flow, which can be described as a breeze, scientists began to investigate the geochemistry of the region. Samples of volcanic rock, gas and liquid in the region were examined.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reported that there may be an opening in the Cocos tectonic plate downstream towards the center of the Earth, about 100 km below the surface. The researchers stated that this opening could explain many things.
A geological hole has been detected
The mantle is mostly composed of rocks with a certain structure of silicon and oxygen atoms, but it may not be possible to encounter the same structure in every region. A group of scientists encountered an abnormal situation under Central America. “Just below Panama, there’s a hole, a window through the plate, that allows this mantle component to come in,” said David Bekaert, an expert in marine chemistry and geochemistry, one of the researchers who led the study.
According to the research results, this window may have formed naturally or as a result of a break. In both cases, the movement of materials on the surface makes it a breeze. When wondering what might trigger this breeze, two possibilities emerge. First, materials pass through the Panama Fracture Zone, the rift zone in the crust and upper mantle that connects the Galapagos to Panama. Second, the typical circulation of the mantle drives materials through the opening in the plate.
Bekaert noted that the presence of the mantle window could also explain the lack of active volcanoes in Panama. Water accumulating on the crust of subduction plates triggers volcano formation. The opening in the plate below Panama means that there is a gap in the crust as water does not accumulate. This makes it difficult for molten magma to flow. Bekaert also stated that there are unexplained anomalies in mantle chemistry all over the world and that he wants to continue working in this field with his team.
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