The new study provides the best understanding yet of how dynamic topography works.
They say it's what's on the inside that counts. And so it goes with the planet's surface; from mountain ranges to a river's drainage, the deep Earth has a profound influence on what's happening on top.
That's the key lesson from a study led by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU), which sheds new light on how Earth's surface is shaped by what's happening deep inside our planet's interior. The study focused on the Earth's changing landscape today, but could also offer a window into the ancient past.
The changes are driven by the movement of solid rocks inside the earth in a process called convection, which creates Dynamic Topography. The new study provides the best understanding yet of how dynamic topography works. Lead author Associate Professor Rhodri Davies says as this rock moves around inside the Earth, it can shift the Earth's surface.
"Hot buoyant material rises, and cooler dense material sinks," he said. "This pushes the Earth's surface up in some places, and draws it down in others."
According to Associate Professor Davies, this phenomenon is one of the key drivers of variation in the Earth's surface around the globe.
Continue reading at Australia National University
Image via Australia National University
