A study shows that the remains of ancient marine animals have an influence on how much tectonic plates move in the sea.
One example is the Hikurangi subduction zone, the largest fault line close to New Zealand, where a megathrust earthquake can occur at magnitudes 8 or more. But the deposits of the remnants of archaic long-dead organisms could be a factor there.
Marine Remains Could Control Tremors
Scientists point out that calcite deposits left by ancient marine animals over millions of years are thought to control the movement and friction of the Pacific plate and the Australia plate, reported Science Alert.
Suppose the calcite will dissolve according to the study if it does the plate slide better. But, it will stop and store energy that breaks with a more deadly explosive force of tectonic plates.
According to structural geologist Carolyn Boulton from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, calcite dissolves faster if very stressed with colder temperatures. She added in cooler or room temperature, though the deeper the depth with hotter climes in the earth's crust, the much stiffer.
Plate Movements
Beneath the deepest part of the plate boundary, the temperature rises progressively with depth, heating up by about 10º C for each kilometer.
Calcite shells that fail to disintegrate further below the surface may significantly impact the fault's movement patterns, citing the Latest News.
The fault is already challenging to study and requires costly drilling equipment to reach.
Therefore, the scientists have been utilizing the exposed structures of limestone, mudstone, and siltstone on a local shoreline southeast of Martinborough, here on North Island, to access the layers.
Layers there comprise calcite from aquatic creatures, which are primarily of a form known as foraminifera, which includes plankton, among others. The questions arise on how much of the calcite lies inside the subduction zone and what condition it is in.
Boulton introduced the quantity and actions of calcite from all these life forms as a significant component of the puzzle as to how massive the next earthquake could be.
Geologists are not privy to the working of the Hikurangi subduction zone compared to other faults locations in the area of New Zealand because examining the geologic structure cannot be seen close up.
Not much is there about earlier quakes, and it is hard to get comprehensive evidence for it; also, these conditions are not all known, which hampers an effective way to tell if the big one is coming.
The researchers claim there is a 26.9 statistical probability of a massive earthquake somewhere along the fault within the next 50 years, which could result in a massive tsunami; hints of these previous events are on the New Zealand coast.
Most aspects are all at play, however, the research demonstrates why plate movements could be slow and slight or rapid and large, and the more we understand about the build-up of calcites on the seafloor, the more effectively we'll be capable of figuring out what is arriving after that, per Science Direct.
These tiny, long-dead organisms can physically impact how two enormous continental plates interact. For millions of years, these ancient marine animals have comprised part of the subduction layers, impacting tectonic plates and movement.
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