A giant hole is releasing water into the ocean rather than taking it down into the earth. A press release from the University of Washington revealed that this hole, located off the coast of Oregon, is just above the Cascadia Subduction Zone fault.
Scientists are concerned that the leaking could be an indication of a disaster, such as an earthquake, near the area. The giant hole is positioned about 80 km from the Oregon coastline and extends over a distance of 965 km between Vancouver Island and northern California.
Mysterious Pythias Oasis
The giant hole is named Pythias' Oasis, a mineral-rich spring located on the Pacific Northwest seafloor. The study, titled "Fluid Sources and Overpressures Within the Central Cascadia Subduction Zone Revealed by a Warm, High-flux Seafloor Seep" published in Science Advances, believes that it may be acting as a tectonic lubricant.
The spring's almost-fresh water prevents the plate on which it sits from shifting in a potentially dangerous way. The spring, named after an oracle who experienced hallucinations while sitting on it, was discovered by researchers in 2015.
During a separate research mission near the spring, researchers identified plumes of bubbles, which they later discovered were warm, chemically distinct fluid gushing from the seafloor sediment. According to Futurism, researchers realized that the water was shooting out of the seafloor like a firehose, which they had not observed before.
The team calculated that the fluid is coming directly from the Cascadia megathrust and is warmer than the surrounding water by 16 degrees Fahrenheit.
Further expeditions to the spring, first discovered by White House policy advisor Brendan Philip, revealed the role Pythias' Oasis plays in preventing disastrous seismic activity. The study's lead author, the University of Washington doctoral student Marta Torres, likened the system to a car engine that needs oil to function properly.
If the plate tectonic on which the spring sits were to stick, the stress build-up could result in a much larger earthquake. Discovering a natural lubricant near geological fault lines could inform new ways of managing earthquake risk in other parts of the world.
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Just Like An Air Hockey Table
The discovery of Pythias' Oasis prompted extensive research as scientists keen to learn more about its geological processes and has led to the breakthrough of the role the spring plays in preventing seismic activity in the area. Scientists suggest that the seafloor spring exists in a unique and harsh environment that could offer insights into the development of life on Earth.
As per the press release, the loss of fluid from the offshore megathrust interface can greatly impact the friction between the oceanic and continental plates by lowering the fluid pressure between sediment particles. This results in an increase in friction, which can cause stress to build up and lead to potential natural disasters.
The researchers compare the megathrust fault zone to an air hockey table; if the fluid pressure is high, the two plates can slip with less friction. However, if the fluid pressure is low, the two plates will lock, creating stress.
Researchers noted that this seafloor leak is the first of its kind, although they speculate that other leaks could exist nearby but have not been detected yet. The findings are a crucial insight into plate tectonics, a relatively new field of study, as it highlights the importance of fluid pressure in the megathrust fault zone.
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