A new study has found that huge sand dunes on the floor of the North Sea are buried under ancient 'silt'. (Image credit: Photo © Tomasz Sienicki [user: tsca, email: tomasz.sienicki at gmail.com], CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons)
Enormous sand mounds on the floor of the North Sea have long puzzled scientists. Now researchers have discovered that these mysterious structures were formed by a geological process that has never been observed on such a scale before.
Seismic data and rock samples from the northern North Sea off the coast of Norway suggest that these miles-wide mounds sank millions of years ago, bringing older, less dense “mud” to the surface. The findings could help scientists better understand the future of carbon storage, the researchers say in a new study published June 21 in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.
Scientists have long known about these mounds hidden beneath the seabed, but until now there was no consensus on their origin. Theories include landslide deposits, sandstone uplift from below, or the pressure of mud pushing through fragile rock layers.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
