Were we lied to? Scientists have discovered two hidden mountains 100 times taller than Mount Everest. Known to be 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) above sea level, Mount Everest was said to be the tallest mountain on the planet, but it looks like things have taken an unexpected turn and rewritten everything in the history books regarding the earth and its attributes.
According to MSN, in 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the peak of Mount Everest, and it made history. Since then, it has been part of scientific curriculums at school and in scientific conversations. However, as you are reading this, you might have to stop and reshuffle your knowledge about this “tallest” mountain. Let us break it down.
The startling finding under the Earth’s mantle: Buried giants
The two mountains are said to be taller than Mount Everest, each estimated to be over 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) tall. Found under the earth’s surface, it has sent shockwaves in the global community, challenging everything we thought we knew about earth formation, components and the geological process. The two mountains are called Large Low Seismic Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs), which were discovered after there was a powerful earthquake through a seismic wave analysis.
The mountains are found at the core-mantle boundary, deep within the earth’s lower mantle. The depth of these mountains is unreachable when utilising traditional ways of observation. However, thanks to advanced technology, researchers were able to identify these mountains and map out the contours of these mountains to have full details about their nature and size.
As reported by MSN, scientists from the Utrecht University state that the mountains are not on the Earth’s surface but beneath and buried, which is about 1,200 miles (approximately 2,000 km) under our feet. They also expressed that they could be half a billion years old, but there is a chance they date back to the early stages of the Earth’s formation, about four billion years ago.
Experts are not certain what they are and if they are temporary or permanent
This discovery is quite intriguing, and scientists do not have much information about them as they are trying to study further about the LLSVPs. Lead researcher Dr. Arwen Deuss expressed that they do not comprehend what these mountains could be about, what they incorporate, or where they came from. These are just basic discoveries to make us know that there is something big underneath us.
According to the Daily Galaxy, these waves slow down as they move through areas with varying densities of material as they move through the Earth’s interior. Scientists discovered the existence of these enormous structures beneath the surface of the Earth by closely examining these seismic waves. Beneath the Pacific Ocean and Africa, the LLSVP dwarf Mount Everest.
A new geological frontier: How these mountains change how we think about the Earth
Whenever there is a new discovery about the Earth, universe or space explorations, our comprehension and imagination quickly shift because what we thought was a concrete scientific theory is being altered. Additionally, reshaping our minds keeps us curious to know why the earth keeps changing and evolving and why all these attributes were hidden before. Is it trying to communicate with us?
The discovery of these two new mountains has opened a new scientific avenue. It feels like a third eye, and now we can see the geological side of how everything is unfolding. As technology keeps improving and advancing, scientists believe there is more to unpack and discover about the Earth by revealing more hidden mysteries that we cannot imagine at this current moment.