Lava eruption on Indian Ocean floor creates new crust

Formation of a new crust deep under the sea has been witnessed by the scientists for the first time. This incident took place in the Southeast Indian Ridge region under Indian Ocean.

French National Center for Scientific Research said, tectonic movements have cracked the ocean floor. Lava is erupting from those cracks which are solidified instantly, creating new layers. 

According to the research published in the journal Nature, the entire process was recorded through autonomous hydrophones deployed in February 2024.

Scientists had long assumed that the ocean floor expands slowly at an average rate of two and a half inches per year. However, this observation has completely changed that conception.

The new observation shows that huge earthquakes were triggered as lava erupted from the crack. Within two just hours, about 150 million cubic meters of magma spread and created a new layer. Due to this, upper crust of the ocean floor has dropped about 4.2 meters.

Geophysicist Jean-Yves Royer stated that the separation speed of the two plates was about two inches per second. Scientists could observe it directly because the process happened so fast. This study proves that the ocean floor or tectonic crust is not formed through a smooth and slow process.

Instead, it is formed through sudden and powerful jolts. Witnessing such an event, which happens once in 40 years, is a wonderful achievement for the scientists. It has opened a new horizon regarding the formation process of the Earth.

-SA