Unprecedented seafloor expansion event intrigues scientists

Research has revealed, for the first time, direct observations of a seafloor spreading event at a mid-ocean ridge in the Indian Ocean. The findings help explain how new oceanic crust forms.

Mid-ocean ridges are underwater chains located at the boundaries between tectonic plates, where magma rises to the surface, cools and forms new crust.

Although about two-thirds of the Earth's surface was created in these environments, scientists still know little about the behavior of these structures during specific expansion events.

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To monitor this process, researchers installed an autonomous observatory to map the seabed. The team, led by scientist Jean-Yves Royer, monitored a stretch of the Southeast Indian Ocean Mid-Ocean Ridge, which marks the boundary between the Australian and Antarctic plates.

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Measurements revealed that the sea floor moved 4.2 meters over six days, following a sequence of earthquakes recorded on April 26, 2024. The study was published by the journal Nature and can be accessed at this link.

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According to the researchers, the deformation was caused by the emptying of a magma reservoir about 2.5 kilometers wide. The team estimates that the phenomenon released more than 160 million cubic meters of lava onto the sea floor.

The displacement was most intense immediately after the earthquake, reaching a speed of up to five centimeters per minute. In the following days, the movement lost intensity and, a week later, it had decreased to about 1.2 centimeters per day.

Source: CNN