Indian Ocean Gravity Hole is a really mystery in the earth history. It has been found and studied well.
Indian Ocean Gravity Hole
In the Indian Ocean lies a anomaly known as the “gravity hole,” where the gravitational force is notably weaker compared to other areas of Earths surface by, up to 348 feet (106 meters) resulting in lower sea levels in that specific region.The discovery of this phenomenon dates back, to 1948. Its true origins have only been recently unveiled after years of speculation and mystery.
The massive gap covers an area of 3 million kilometers. Is located, about 1200 kilometers southwest of India. Scientists have puzzled over its origin since its discovery by geophysicists until a breakthrough in 2023 when a research paper, in the Geophysical Research Letters provided the awaited explanation. Researchers employed 19 computer models to replicate the movement of the Earths mantle and tectonic plates spanning 140 million years.They then pinpointed the scenarios that led to a geoid resembling the one observed in life.
The research revealed that a gravitational anomaly, in the Indian Ocean came about following the demise of an ocean known as Tethys that once separated the super-continents Laurasia and Gondwana. Tethys was situated on a piece of Earths crust that descended beneath the plate during the separation of Gondwana 180 million years ago. Consequently fragmented pieces of the crust descended into the Earths mantle.
20 million years back, in time these pieces fell into the parts of the earths mantle pushing away heavy substances that came from the “African blob”—a condensed mass of solidified molten rock standing a hundred times higher, than Mount Everest and confined under Africa. Columns of molten rock ascended to take the place of the dense matter reducing the total weight of the area and reducing its gravitational force.
Researchers are still waiting for validation of these model forecasts using data to support the presence of dense plumes, beneath the cavity’s surface layer. At the time scientists are uncovering a growing appreciation for the formations, within Earths molten core, including previously undetected blobs appearing in surprising locations.
Explorations of Mars have also uncovered formations of shapes and sizes hidden beneath the planets surface – not just limited to Earth alone.