====== LLSVPs (superplumes) ======

In the mid 1980s, seismologists analyzing recordings of reflections of seismic waves in the Earth's crust (caused by earthquakes) found anomalies which suggested the existence of two supersized 'plumes' of semi-molten rocky material in the region between the Earth's crust and its core. Subsequent measurements have confirmed the two continent-sized structures, which are now known as //Large Low-Shear-Velocity Provinces //or //LLSVPs.//

The //African LLSVP// and the //Pacific LLSVP// are several thousand km across and are thought to be around one thousand km in depth.

The origins of the two masses are unknown.

The current leading hypothesis is that they are long-term accumulations of oceanic crust slabs forced downwards due to[[content:earth_sciences:tectonic_subduction]]

Another theory suggests that they could be remnants of// [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theia_(planet)|Theia]], //a planet-sized body which is theorised to have collided with Earth at the time of the formation of the Moon.

Further reading : [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_low-shear-velocity_provinces|Wikipedia]] (also showing an animation of a 3-D model of the LLSVPs)

Related : The work of the [[https://sujoym.net/|Mukhopadhyay group]]  at the UC Davis Earth and Planetary Sciences dept.

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Also see : [[content:earth_sciences:mantle_plumes]]