Lost City's Plumbing Exposed by the Longest Mantle Core Ever Drilled

Scientists have uncovered the inner workings of a lost city beneath the ocean floor by drilling the longest mantle core ever.

The 10-mile-long core, drilled by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), has provided the first direct evidence of how water circulates through the Earth's mantle, the rocky layer beneath the crust. This circulation is essential for understanding the planet's heat balance and the formation of hydrothermal vents.

The lost city, known as Atlantis Massif, is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a gigantic underwater mountain range that marks the boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Atlantis Massif is about 50 miles wide and rises 1,000 feet from the seafloor.

The IODP scientists drilled the core into the mantle beneath Atlantis Massif in 2015. The core is composed of peridotite, a rock that is rich in magnesium and iron. The scientists found that the peridotite is fractured and contains a network of tiny pores. These pores are filled with water, which is circulating through the mantle.

The scientists believe that the water is heated by the Earth's internal heat and then rises through the mantle. As the water rises, it cools and precipitates minerals, which form the hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. These vents are home to a variety of unique and exotic organisms that thrive in the extreme conditions.

The discovery of the mantle core is a major breakthrough in our understanding of the Earth's interior. It provides new insights into the planet's heat balance and the formation of hydrothermal vents. This knowledge could lead to new discoveries of mineral resources and help us to develop new technologies for extracting energy from the Earth's interior.