There is a strange topographical paradox in Türkiye that has long intrigued researchers: while the central Anatolian plateau is rising, a low-lying area is simultaneously forming in its center. Two vertical movements Obviously Contradictory yet explainable by a very specific mechanism.
Satellite data, via Stations position GPSGPSshows us that tectonic plates do indeed move in motion, and it is certainly slow (a few millimeters per year), but it is continuous. However, the continents do not just move sideways. They are also subject to MovementsMovements Vertically: rise or fall (depression). This is of course the case for collision chains (Alps, Himalayas, Pyrenees…)))Rift zones, such as the one that runs across East Africa, are high-latitude areas that were buried beneath the Earth's surface. ice coverice coverBut also some plateaus, such as Tibet, Altiplano-Puna and Anatolia.
topographical paradox
The dynamics of these plateaus are particularly complex and appear to be linked to interconnected tectonic, thermal and geological processes. If misunderstood, they often produce spectacular terrain, as in the case of the Central Anatolian Plateau in Turkey. While the plateau generally rises, a depression actually forms in its center. This is the Konya Basin. Circular in shape, it has speedspeed From a relatively rapid subsidence, about 20 mm/yr. A movement that is difficult to explain in this regional context.
To unravel the mystery of the Konya Basin, a team of researchers conducted laboratory experiments to determine the mechanisms that could be at the origin of the formation of this basin, taking into account the geological and geophysical data of the region.
Published In the magazine Nature CommunicationsThus, the results indicate that there is a state of instability at the base of the continental lithosphere. Remember that the lithosphere represents the outer shell of the Earth and contains cortexcortex And also the fragile upper part of coatcoat.
dripping lithosphere
It has previously been suggested that the Central Anatolian Plateau was created 10 million years ago following a tectonic event that thickened the lithosphere. A piece of the mantle lithospherelithosphere Then he separated himself to flow intoThe mantleThe mantlewhich leads to the uplift of the remaining lithosphere. The researchers suggest that a similar mechanism is currently at work in the origin of the Konya Basin. Beneath the basin, seismic data indicate that a portion of the dense, cold lithosphere is sinking into the asthenosphere, forming a kind of “droplet.” This instability pulls the crust downward, explaining the development of the surface depression. Laboratory experiments have successfully reproduced this phenomenon.
A scenario that could help us understand some geological structures on other planets like Mars or VenusVenus.
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