An international research group coordinated by Unimore has developed an innovative method that reveals the structure of the Earth
The Unimore Oceanic Crust Research Group, led by Professor Daniele Brunelli, coordinated the international team and devised a method to uncover the structure and composition of the Earth's mantle. The results, published in the prestigious journal Science Advances, reveal the existence of kilometre-scale lithological discontinuities, redefining current interpretations of the Earth's internal structure.
“With this research, we achieved two key objectives: on one hand, we established a method to extract information about the mantle’s composition; on the other, we identified new lithological components never previously described,” explains Prof. Brunelli. “The part of the mantle we study is where magmas are formed and is the medium through which plate tectonics is driven. This active part of our planet is not physically accessible, and information about it is obtained indirectly through geophysical methods (seismic, gravity, and magnetometry). Our approach is based on the analysis of lava compositions produced in the cooler regions of the mantle, where thermal diffusion during melting extracts magmas generated by specific lithological singularities.”
The team from the Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences – including Prof. Anna Cipriani (head of the Geochemical Laboratory), Prof. Federico Lugli, and Dr Léna Verhoest – analysed and studied the isotopic composition of lava samples collected along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge during an international oceanographic expedition led by Prof. Brunelli. In 2019, Unimore researchers descended into the ocean depths aboard the Nautile submersible, reaching depths of over six kilometres at the intersection of the Romanche megafault in the equatorial Atlantic.
“This type of research,” highlights Prof. Cipriani, “is made possible thanks to Unimore’s advanced analytical infrastructure, particularly the clean room of the Geochemistry Group within the Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, and the inorganic mass spectrometers at the Interdepartmental Centre for Advanced Instrumentation. It is essential to continue supporting and enhancing these facilities, which are a centre of excellence both nationally and internationally and enable us to address high-level scientific challenges in the field of geochemistry and Earth sciences.”
The study of these lavas took several years of collaborative work between Unimore and the University of Brest in France, including the development of innovative thermochemical models of mantle melting. The findings provide new insights into the physical properties of the Earth's mantle, which are fundamental for understanding plate tectonic dynamics and magma formation throughout Earth's history.
Categorie: Notizie_eng, International - english
Articolo pubblicato da: Ufficio Stampa Unimore - ufficiostampa@unimore.it il 05/05/2025