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Lead author of the study, Dr. Rodry Davis. © Stuart Hay, ANU
Scientists have managed to uncover the secret of the origin of the only active volcanic region in Australia, according to the portal Phys.org. An area of 500 km stretches from Melbourne to mount gambier south australian city surrounded by sleeping volcano, the last eruption of which occurred 5 thousand years back. “Volcanoes in this region of Australia emerged as a result of unique process. Other terrestrial volcanoes are usually formed at the junction of tectonic plates. An example of such the volcanic region can serve as the Pacific Ring of Fire, – says lead author of the study, Dr. Rodry Davis. – We determined that volcanism in Australia arose due to fluctuations in the thickness of the continent and the movement of the mainland at a speed of 7 cm per year in north towards New Guinea and Indonesia. ”
The volcanic region in Australia is relatively flat terrain less than 200 km deep. In the territory this region is the oldest part of the continent, whose age is 2.5 billion years old, meets with a thinner and younger part, formed just 500 million years ago. These thickness differences drive flows in the underlying mantle, which brings heat from the bowels of the earth to the surface.
In the course of the study, scientists used cutting edge technology. So, to simulate flows in the earth’s mantle was Rigin supercomputer used in national computing infrastructure. Dr. Davis plans to apply his research methods to other volcanic puzzles on earth balloon: “There are about 50 isolated volcanic regions in the world, the appearance of some of which we can now explain. ”
Australia Volcanoes
