A research has led to the discovery of a new theory regarding new crust formation of the earth. Scientists have collected and examined rock samples that were formed more than 10 miles below the earth's surface which shows that water in the key ingredient for crust formation.
According to Science News Line, a team of scientists from the University of Texas at Austin School of Geosciences has revealed that water goes deep into the earth's crust and upper mantle layer of the earth, at mid-ocean spreading zones, which is the place where new crust formation takes place. This proves water being the main ingredient in the formation of a new crust.
Apart from the theory of water being the key ingredient in crust formation, the research result also shows that due to water, it is possible that magma from the earth's mantle cools and leads in the formation of lower layers of crust. The Earth's mantle is a semi-strong layer that isolates the planet's outside layer i.e. crust from the center.
The University of Texas reported that the research on new crust formation of earth was led by Nick Dygert. Dygert is a postdoctoral fellow in the Jackson School's Department of Geological Sciences. The research paper was published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters in May edition. Peter Kelemen from the Colombia University and Yan Liang from The Brown University were the collaborators in the study.
The team of scientists doing research on new crust formation of earth used geothermometers in the study. In this method, scientists used mineral compositions inside the samples of rock for calculating the temperatures of the rock samples which revealed the cooling history of the rocks. Geothermometers are the instruments which help the researcher in determining the temperatures faced by magma and rock when they start cooling and how fast the process of cooling occurred.
