00:00It has always been believed that complex mountain ranges were formed when Earth's tectonic plates smashed into each other,
00:07pushing some of the planet's crust down below the surface and other parts are thrust into higher elevation.
00:13But according to research published in Nature Geoscience, the origins of mountains could lie much deeper in Earth than we
00:20thought.
00:21After analyzing the ages of chemical composition of rock layers in the Calabria region in southern Italy,
00:27researchers realized Earth's crust activity seems to be a secondary factor in the process of mountain building.
00:34The team instead believes a convection cell could be responsible for mountain building.
00:40Science Alert says these cells happen when heat from Earth's core causes fluid magma in the mantle to move around
00:47in a circular pattern, impacting tectonic activity above.
00:51More research needs to be done on the subject to better understand the influence of these convection cells affecting mountain
00:58growth.
Comments