B2 – Upper Intermediate
Geologists have identified a massive ancient slab of Earth’s crust beneath North America that is slowly sinking into the mantle, a process described as “dripping.” This phenomenon is occurring beneath regions from Michigan to Alabama and provides new insights into the dynamic processes shaping our planet’s interior.
Read the article to know why understanding these subterranean movements is crucial for comprehending seismic activity and the geological evolution of continents.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “slab” mean here, “An ancient slab of Earth’s crust buried deep beneath the Midwest is sucking huge swatches of present-day’s North American crust down into the mantle.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “splinter” mean? “The Farallon plate splintered due to the advance of the Pacific plate roughly 20 million years ago, and remnant slabs subducted beneath the North American plate slowly drifted off.“ Use it in a sentence.
- What does “full-waveform inversion” mean? “The discovery was possible thanks to a wider project led by Hua to map what lies beneath North America using a high-resolution seismic imaging technique called “full-waveform inversion.“ Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What do you imagine life would be like if we could actually see this crust sinking beneath our feet? How would it change how we view the Earth’s inner workings?
- Do you think understanding this process could help us predict future geological events, like volcanic eruptions or earthquakes?
- How does this “dripping” crust affect the way we think about seismic activity and earthquakes in areas like Michigan or Alabama?
- Isn’t it fascinating that there’s an ancient piece of Earth’s crust slowly sinking into the mantle—what do you think that means for the planet’s long-term evolution?