Geoscientists confirm Earth’s crust ‘dripping’ beneath Turkiye, being reshaped

Recent satellite data has revealed an intriguing geological phenomenon happening beneath Turkiye.

The analysis revealed that the changes are taking place in Konya Basin of T¼rkiye’s Central Anatolian Plateau, shedding new light on the region’s tectonic evolution.

A study led by Earth scientists at the University of Toronto, published in Nature Communications, explains the enigmatic sinking of the basin within the rising plateau interior.

Turkiye lies at the convergence of multiple tectonic plates, making it a seismically active region. The country sits at the intersection of the Eurasian, Arabian, and African plates, with the Anatolian microplate sandwiched between them.

The research team, headed by PhD candidate Julia Andersen, observed a circular feature in the Konya Basin where the crust is subsiding. This discovery prompted a deeper investigation into geophysical data beneath the surface, revealing a seismic anomaly in the upper mantle and a thickened crust.

The study attributes the basin’s sinking to a process called multi-stage lithospheric dripping.

This phenomenon occurs when dense rock fragments beneath the surface detach and sink into the more fluid layer of the planet’s mantle, resulting in the formation of major landforms such as basins and mountainous folding of the crust.

This finding adds to the growing understanding of a new class of plate tectonics, with potential implications for planets like Mars and Venus that do not exhibit Earth-like plate tectonics.

To validate their observations, the researchers conducted laboratory experiments using a mixture of materials to simulate Earth’s layers.

The experiments demonstrated both primary and secondary dripping events, mirroring the processes observed in the Konya Basin.

The Central Anatolian Plateau has risen by as much as one kilometer over the past 10 million years due to lithospheric dripping. The study suggests a connection between plateau uplift and basin formation events through the evolution of primary and secondary lithospheric removal.

This research not only provides insights into the geological processes shaping T¼rkiye’s landscape but also contributes to our understanding of tectonic processes in mountain plateau regions worldwide.