Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Beneath India, a slow-motion fracture is unfolding as the tectonic plate begins splitting horizontally into layers, a phenomenon rarely seen before in geology.
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Tibet’s sky-high elevation might be explained by one plate layer floating upward—Stanford geophysicist Simon Klemperer’s research suggests this vertical split is pushing it skyward.
Unusual helium levels in Tibetan springs hint that Earth's mantle is brushing closer to the surface, indicating tectonic delamination, according to ESS Open Archive findings.
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Rare helium-3 bubbling up in northern Tibet points to mantle exposure, while common helium-4 in the south implies the plate hasn't yet torn through there.
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Rather than splitting like a cookie, the Indian Plate is layering apart—doubling the complexity of Earth's crust dynamics, say experts at the AGU conference.
At December’s AGU conference, a radical theory emerged—Tibet’s height may stem from the Indian Plate peeling like an onion, not crashing into Eurasia.
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The lower slab of the Indian Plate may be diving deep into Earth’s mantle, reshaping our understanding of mountain formation, per Stanford-led models.
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Professor Douwe van Hinsbergen admits, “We didn’t know continents could behave this way”—a bold reminder that Earth still holds tectonic surprises.
What lies beneath may redefine plate tectonics, with delamination suggesting a layered planet much more complex than flat-moving puzzle pieces.
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