Under the southern coast of Japan, there is a mountain-sized clump of igneous rock that could be a kind of magnet or lightning rod for big earthquakes. 3D images of the Kumano Pluton show that the tectonic power from megaquakes would seem to be sent to several places on its side.
If this happens, scientists could be able to better predict how big earthquakes in the area will affect the area and truly comprehend how these igneous masses engage with the movement of the earth. As far back as 2006, there were some hints about the Kumano Pluton. A pluton is a type of rock formation that comes up from the ground and moves other rock underground. It then cools and hardens into a large chunk.
This is the area where one tectonic plate slides under the edge of another, which causes a lot of earthquakes and volcanoes. Seismic imaging showed something was that was distinct in density from the rest of the rock there. Simulation results helped show that the large section was made of plutonic rock. But we didn’t know how big it was. In the past 20 years, a team of scientists used records from the Nankai subduction area to map the whole Kumano Pluton.
Quakes and tremors can be very destructive, but they could also be a very effective instrument, you see. Quakes are a lot of fun, to be honest. They spread out from their source, spreading across the planet, and jumping back and forth.
Seismologists can use the way seismic waves move across and reflect off different materials to map structures that we can’t see down below. To make this high-resolution 3D model, the team fed all of the data they had into LoneStar5 at the University of Texas at Austin, which is a supercomputer. This supercomputer is called LoneStar5. It was very interesting because it showed us things we didn’t even know existed.
As it turned out, the pluton’s mass is making the Earth’s crust bend under its weight and rise up a little above it, as shown by the picture. The pluton appears to be giving groundwater a path to get under the Earth’s crust and into the top mantle by making the Earth’s crust bend even more. The researchers hope that their findings will lead to more thorough explorations of the underground structures that could be hidden in other places where the earth moves slowly.
Tiesha loves to share her passion for everything that’s beautiful in this world. Apart from writing on her beauty blog and running her own beauty channel on Youtube, she also enjoys traveling and photography. Tiesha covers various stories on the website.