London - Saba:
Scientists from the University of Manchester have discovered hundreds of mysterious sand formations beneath the North Sea that challenge fundamental concepts about the structure of the Earth’s crust.
These formations, called “Sinkites,” are massive sand hills several kilometers wide that did not deposit over older rocks as is typically the case, but instead sank downward, displacing the softer and more porous materials beneath them.
This discovery challenges a basic principle in geology, which holds that newer layers form above older ones. The newly identified phenomenon is known as “stratigraphic inversion,” where the usual order of rock layers is reversed. Previously observed only on a limited scale, the Sinkites now represent the largest scientifically recorded example of such an inversion.
Lead author of the study, Professor Mads Huuse, stated: “We observed structures where dense sand sank into lighter deposits, while those lighter materials rose to the top. This completely overturns prevailing ideas about the layers of the Earth’s crust and forms massive hills beneath the seafloor.”
One such formation was found at site 34/8-A-14 within the Visund reservoir, where porous, heavy sand sank beneath a less dense clay layer. This is a clear example of a Sinkite, where the heavy sand descends and replaces the lighter rock, which then rises, disrupting the normal stratigraphic sequence.
These formations are believed to have formed millions of years ago during the late Miocene epoch, likely as a result of earthquakes or sudden changes in subsurface pressure. This caused the sand to liquefy and sink through fractures in the seabed, pushing the lighter rock—composed of microscopic marine fossils—upward and forming floating structures known as “floaters.”
The research team used high-resolution 3D seismic imaging, along with data from hundreds of exploratory wells and rock samples from deep beneath the sea. These tools revealed a hidden geological system beneath the North Sea that goes far beyond being a mere anomaly.
| more of (International) |