Mountain ranges floating on lava

The Atlas in Africa floats on a layer of molten rock that "challenges" the long-standing standard model of the structure of mountains, which suggests that mountains need a solid foundation.

Researchers from the University of Southern California (USA) say Mount Atlas floats on a hot lava layer flowing beneath the lithosphere of the area, and the source of the flow may stem from volcanoes on Canary Island located. off the northwestern part of Africa.

The Atlas Mountains "challenge" every traditional model of mountain structure - (Photo: macsadventure.com)

'Our findings confirm that the mountain structure and their formation are very complex, far from long-standing insights,' said Professor Professor Meghan Miller.

The currently accepted models of lithosphere suggest that the height of the Earth's crust must be supported in proportion to its depth, just as an iceberg not only floats on the water but also hides itself. sea.

'Atlas' range is currently unbalanced, most likely due to the influence of the anomalies of the lithosphere and the impact of the lower mantle' , according to R&D Magazine, co-author Thorsten Becker.

Miller and Becker used seismic devices to identify surface impulses to 'see' the base of the upper mountain range.

The crust below Atlas reached a depth of about 40km, shallowing more than 14.4km from the estimates of long-standing standard models of mountain structure.