Scientists solve Bermuda mystery after discovering hidden structure

"Scientists have discovered why a small volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic is still sitting high above the ocean floor, even though its volcanoes stopped erupting over 30 million years ago. A team from the Carnegie Institution of Washington and Yale University revealed that a hidden structure under Bermuda formed after the area's final volcanic eruption, which has secretly kept the island above the sea since prehistoric times."

"However, in Bermuda, the team discovered an extra, hidden slab of rock sitting directly beneath the island's normal ocean crust. This slab is about 12 miles thick and is lighter than the rock around it, so it floats like a giant raft and keeps the whole area lifted up. Researchers believe this lighter layer formed 30 to 35 million years ago when hot, melted rock from deep inside Earth rose up, spread out underneath the crust and then cooled and hardened in place."

"Unlike most raised ocean areas relying on active volcanoes to keep them afloat, Bermuda's swell has been credited to a previously unseen geological event, proving ancient volcanic leftovers can keep islands in place as well. Researchers William Frazer and Jeffrey Park revealed that the hidden rock slab beneath Bermuda is enormous, measuring roughly 12 miles thick, which is about the same distance tip to tip as New York City's Manhattan Island."

"To figure this out without any new drilling, the scientists used more than 20 years of natural earthquake vibrations recorded by a single seismic listening station right on the island. The scientists tracked how fast-moving earthquake pressure wav"

Bermuda remains high above the surrounding deep ocean floor despite volcanic activity ending more than 30 million years ago. Researchers identified a hidden structure beneath the island that formed after the final volcanic eruption. An extra slab of rock sits directly under Bermuda’s normal ocean crust and is lighter than the surrounding material. The slab is about 12 miles thick and behaves like a buoyant raft, lifting the region upward. The lighter layer likely formed 30 to 35 million years ago when hot, melted rock rose from deep inside Earth, spread beneath the crust, and cooled and hardened. Natural earthquake vibrations recorded over decades were used to map the structure without new drilling.

Read at Mail Online