Deep inside the Earth beats the heart of our world
Where the Earth’s core and mantle meet, the temperature is 10,800°F. That’s as hot as the surface of the Sun. There, at a depth of 1,800 miles, lies the graveyard of the continents. This is where gigantic slabs called tectonic plates are pulled down toward the planet’s molten outer core. But this final resting place of the continental slabs is not final at all— it’s also a place of new beginnings. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, mushroom shaped masses of magna from the interior of Earth rise up to the surface, emerging from the ocean as new volcanic islands, such as those of Hawaii. Seismologists have found one of these mantle plumes rising under Australia and New Zealand. And they’re certain: This is where the next volcanic islands will be coming forth from the ocean floor.
A LAKE OF LAVA
There are only six active lava lakes in the world—and Erta Ale in Ethiopia is one of the most spectacular. It affords us a glimpse of the fiery chaos that churns underneath the surface of our planet.
KEEP SUPPORTING GUYS
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