Scientists have used a series of explosions to study the properties of the lithosphere.

If you want to be heard on the other side of a large room, then you need to speak loudly. In the open field, in the field, you need to shout very loud so that a person from the other side of the field can hear. Well, if you need to get an echo when studying the Earth's lithosphere, you need to be even more “loud”.

Now to study the deeper layers of the planet, scientists use seismic waves that occur during earthquakes. True, such waves give a very limited picture, which can also be distorted for a number of reasons. In order to get a clear picture of the structure of the deep layers of the Earth (from the lithosphere to a certain level of the asthenosphere), you need to use a special technique.

The technique is to surround the source of seismic waves with instrumentation, with a small interval. Since it is rather difficult to predict the occurrence of an earthquake and find out where the epicenter will be located, the scientists decided to create an earthquake on their own. Namely - to make a strong explosion.
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A group of researchers at the University of Victoria decided to study the structure of tectonic plates in the subduction zone. For this purpose, 12 wells were drilled in the area of the North Island, New Zealand . The wells were surrounded by a total of 1200 seismographs. And in each well, half a ton of dynamite was blown up. Thanks to the seismic disturbance produced and the reflected waves, scientists managed to get a fairly clear structure of the deep layers of the planet in this region. Scientists "saw" the New Zealand lithospheric plate, the Pacific plate and two weak lines at a depth of about 100 km.

After several discussions, scientists concluded that these lines show the boundary between the Pacific plate and the asthenosphere. These two lines, most likely, show an intermediate layer with a capacity of 10 km, while scientists compare this layer with lubricant, just between the solid plate and the viscous asthenosphere. And if this is true, then the mechanism of sliding lithospheric plates is now more or less clear.

Now scientists are going to continue research, and further studying the structure of the deep layers of the planet, and the interaction between them. The work of scientists has already been published in Nature .