Brazil has a geomorphology rare, due to its position in relation to the tectonic plates. This happens because it is located almost exactly in the middle of one of them. Therefore, our country is especially protected from major geological phenomena, such as earthquakes, tidal waves and tsunamis.
But, after all, why are these phenomena related to tectonic plates? Both are related by the fact that the movement of the plates and consequently their friction with each other end up generating these phenomena.
Therefore, places where two tectonic plates meet are always a concern for scientists and people living nearby. One of these places is very close to the city of New Port, in the state of Rhode Island, in the United States.
Strange liquid emerges from the ocean floor
Several scientists, whether geologists, geographers or oceanographers, study the city’s surroundings.
All of this happens due to the fact that there is a subduction zone there, in which the oceanic tectonic plate related to the Atlantic is being “swallowed” under the continental tectonic plate related to the United States.
This is an area of high risk and has been studied for years as it is the most likely to experience a magnitude 9 earthquake. However, the most recent discovery made in the region has intrigued scientists. This is because a strange liquid with unusual chemical properties was discovered coming out of the ocean floor.
From this, Evan A. Solomon and other scientists at the University of Washington published in the journal Science Advances an article talking about this strange liquid that is being expelled in the place named as Pythia’s Oasis.
The image above was a digital reconstruction of what was captured by a sonar used by scientists. However, the University of Washington published a video on its YouTube page that shows the liquid emerging from the ocean floor up close.
So, what is this liquid? This was the question that formed the basis for the scientists’ article and which was answered by him. This liquid is nothing more than a type of “lubricant” that reduces friction between tectonic plates, similar to the joints of human bones, for example.
Therefore, it was concluded that perhaps now more than ever New Port is subject to an earthquake never seen before in the history of the United States. As Evan A. Solomon states in the excerpt from his interview below, this is a phenomenon that has already been theorized, but that had never been observed so closely.
“They explored in that direction and what they saw was not just methane bubbles, but water coming out of the seafloor like a fire hose. That’s something I’ve never seen and, to my knowledge, has never been observed before.”