90 Everests deep: The hidden giants beneath Africa and the Pacific

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Representative pic

Mantle Monsters

Two colossal blobs—each the size of continents—are lurking deep beneath Africa and the Pacific. Scientists don’t know what they are, but they occupy 6% of the Earth’s volume. Yes, six percent.

Seismic Shadows

Earthquakes accidentally exposed them. Seismic waves slowed mysteriously while passing through two zones—revealing massive structures that ripple like liquid stone under our feet.

Tuzo Tower

Beneath Africa, a behemoth called “Tuzo” rises nearly 800 kilometers high. That’s taller than 90 Mount Everests—hidden in plain sight beneath our very crust.

Theia’s Ghost

One mind-bending theory? These blobs are the sunken remains of Theia—a Mars-sized planet that smashed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago. That same impact created the Moon.

Entrance to Hell

The deepest humans have ever dug is 12 kilometers. But these blobs lie 70 times deeper. What else is hiding in the vast unexplored underworld of our own planet?

Cosmic Crust

Some scientists believe these blobs may be leftover oceanic crusts buried over billions of years. Others think they’re alien rock, forged during a planetary collision no one survived.

Slow Zone

Seismic waves travel slower through these regions, suggesting something denser or hotter—or possibly completely alien—beneath the surface. It’s like Earth has tumors no one can biopsy.

Tectonic Puzzle

These blobs may help explain tectonic mysteries—why plates move the way they do, or how volcanic hotspots form. We may owe our continents to ancient chaos deep inside the planet.

Planet’s Core Conundrum

Despite supercomputers and satellites, we still don’t know what’s beneath our feet. These underground giants prove Earth’s deepest secrets remain untouched, mysterious, and maybe... extraterrestrial.