PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Atlas Mountains in Morocco are buoyed up by superhot rock, study finds

2014-01-02
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Robert Perkins
perkinsr@usc.edu
213-740-9226
University of Southern California
Atlas Mountains in Morocco are buoyed up by superhot rock, study finds

The Atlas Mountains defy the standard model for mountain structure in which high topography must have deep roots for support, according to a new study from Earth scientists at USC.

In a new model, the researchers show that the mountains are floating on a layer of hot molten rock that flows beneath the region's lithosphere, perhaps all the way from the volcanic Canary Islands, just offshore northwestern Africa.

"Our findings confirm that mountain structures and their formation are far more complex than previously believed," said lead author Meghan Miller, assistant professor of Earth sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

The study, coauthored by Thorsten Becker, professor of Earth sciences at USC Dornsife, was published by Geology on Jan. 1, 2014 and highlighted by Nature Geoscience.

A well-established model for the Earth's lithosphere suggests that the height of the Earth's crust must be supported by a commensurate depth, much like how a tall iceberg doesn't simply float on the surface of the water but instead rests on a large submerged mass of ice. This property is known as "istostacy."

"The Atlas Mountains are at present out of balance, likely due to a confluence of existing lithospheric strength anomalies and deep mantle dynamics," Becker said.

Miller and Becker used seismometers to measure the thickness of the lithosphere – that is, the Earth's rigid outermost layer – beneath the Altas Mountains in Morocco. By analyzing 67 distant seismic events with 15 seismometers, the team was able to use the Earth's vibrations to "see" into the deep subsurface.

They found that the crust beneath the Atlas Mountains, which rise to an elevation of more than 4,000 meters, reaches a depth of only about 35 km – about 15 km shy of what the traditional model predicts.

"This study shows that deformation can be observed through the entire lithosphere and contributes to mountain building even far away from plate boundaries" Miller said.

Miller's lab is currently conducting further research into the timing and effects of the mountain building on other geological processes.



INFORMATION:



This research was funded by the National Science Foundation, grant EAR-0809023.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Trapping insects by color: Will it work in Montana?

2014-01-02
Trapping insects by color: Will it work in Montana? BOZEMAN, Mont. – Red and green traps attract more sweetpotato weevils than other colors, and a Montana State University researcher who made that discovery wants to know if Montana insects react the same way. Gadi ...

New cell mechanism discovery key to stopping breast cancer metastasis

2014-01-02
New cell mechanism discovery key to stopping breast cancer metastasis SALT LAKE CITY—Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah discovered a cellular mechanism that drives the spread of breast cancer to other parts of the body (metastasis), ...

Chinese herbal compound relieves inflammatory and neuropathic pain

2014-01-02
Chinese herbal compound relieves inflammatory and neuropathic pain UCI study also shows novel analgesic to be nonaddictive Irvine, Calif., Jan. 2, 2014 — A compound derived from a traditional Chinese herbal medicine has been found effective at alleviating pain, ...

The mouse that ROR'ed

2014-01-02
The mouse that ROR'ed ROR1 oncogene combines with another to accelerate, worsen blood cancer Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that an oncogene dubbed ROR1, found on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells ...

New MRI technique illuminates the wrist in motion

2014-01-02
New MRI technique illuminates the wrist in motion (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — If a picture is worth 1,000 words then a movie is worth far more, especially when it comes to diagnosing wrist problems. UC Davis radiologists, medical physicists ...

Virginia Tech researchers find novice teen drivers easily fall into distraction, accidents

2014-01-02
Virginia Tech researchers find novice teen drivers easily fall into distraction, accidents Cell phones, other distractions pose greater threat to teen drivers Teens may begin their driving habits with great caution, but as months behind the wheel pass, they begin to multi-task ...

Novel noninvasive therapy prevents breast cancer formation in mice

2014-01-02
Novel noninvasive therapy prevents breast cancer formation in mice Injectable therapy could help people avoid mastectomy BOSTON – A novel breast-cancer therapy that partially reverses the cancerous state in cultured breast ...

Research into fruit fly cells could lead to cancer insights

2014-01-02
Research into fruit fly cells could lead to cancer insights New research by scientists at the University of Exeter has shown that cells demonstrate remarkable flexibility and versatility when it comes to how they divide - a finding with potential links ...

Alcohol, tobacco, drug use far higher in severely mentally ill

2014-01-02
Alcohol, tobacco, drug use far higher in severely mentally ill In the largest ever assessment of substance use among people with severe psychiatric illness, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Southern ...

Tripling tobacco taxes worldwide would avoid 200 million tobacco deaths

2014-01-02
Tripling tobacco taxes worldwide would avoid 200 million tobacco deaths Controlling tobacco marketing is also key to helping people quit smoking TORONTO, Jan. 2, 2014—Tripling taxes on cigarettes around the world would reduce the number of smokers by one-third ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Participation of women in cardiovascular trials from 2017 to 2023

Semaglutide and tirzepatide in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Changes in biology of internal fat may be the leading cause of heart failure

Transcatheter or surgical treatment of patients with aortic stenosis at low to intermediate risk

Promising new drug for people with stubborn high blood pressure

One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons

Bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based vaccine for preventing cardiovascular hospitalizations in older adults

Clonal hematopoiesis and risk of new-onset myocarditis and pericarditis

Risk of myocarditis or pericarditis with high-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine

High-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine and cardiovascular outcomes in older adults

Prevalence, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health in the WHO African region

New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers

CNIC-led REBOOT clinical trial challenges 40-year-old standard of care for heart attack patients

Systolic blood pressure and microaxial flow pump–associated survival in infarct-related cardiogenic shock

Beta blockers, the standard treatment after a heart attack, may offer no benefit for heart attack patients and women can have worse outcomes

High Mountain Asia’s shrinking glaciers linked to monsoon changes

All DRII-ed up: How do plants recover after drought?

Research on stigma says to just ‘shake it off’

Scientists track lightning “pollution” in real time using NASA satellite

Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but new Rice study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy

Hot days make for icy weather, Philippine study finds

Roxana Mehran, MD, receives the most prestigious award given by the European Society of Cardiology

World's first clinical trial showing lubiprostone aids kidney function

Capturing language change through the genes

Public trust in elections increases with clear facts

Thawing permafrost raised carbon dioxide levels after the last ice age

New DNA test reveals plants’ hidden climate role

Retinitis pigmentosa mouse models reflect pathobiology of human RP59

Cell’s ‘antenna’ could be key to curing diseases

Tiny ocean partnership between algae and bacteria reveals secrets of evolution

[Press-News.org] Atlas Mountains in Morocco are buoyed up by superhot rock, study finds