New Delhi, India

In an unexpected discovery, scientists have stumbled upon an ancient ocean which once sunk in the inner core of the Earth. 

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What now is left of this ancient ocean is an enigmatic layer of ocean floor which is filled with secrets of the past.

According to scientists, the hidden layer was formed millions of years ago and is filled with sediment and minerals and helps in understanding the geological history of the Earth.

The discovery of this ancient ocean was made by a seasoned geophysicist from the University of Alabama and the lead author of the study Dr Samantha Hansen.

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What lies hidden in the beefy crust of Earth?

In the Earth's crust, some of the tectonic plates - which were remnants of the ocean floor - got placed at the core-mantle boundary and formed what was known as an ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZ).

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This ULVZ layer, which is just tens of kilometres thick, is dense in comparison to the surrounding mantle.

“As seismic investigators. Our work is like a high-resolution snapshot of the Earth’s inner structure, and boy, is it more complex than we ever thought!" explained Dr. Hansen.

The scientists have been shocked by the activity going on at the core-mantle boundary. However, the breadth and intricacy of these zones were not known till Arizona State University geophysicist Dr. Edward Garnero and his team started making seismic recordings from Antarctica.

The scientists carried out high-definition imaging which helped them discover gigantic ‘mountains’ at the core, which is five times the height of Mount Everest.

How will the submerged ocean impact Earth?

The lost ocean gives a crucial glance into the heat escape mechanisms of our planet which is important for operating its magnetic field.

The subducted ocean floors, which have now formed ULVZs, will be playing a major role in heat regulation.

Watch: Earth slows down by 1.33 milliseconds

These layers can also be instrumental in creating mantle plumes or columns of hot rock that form from the core-mantle boundary to the surface of Earth. 

Dr. Garnero said, “It’s incredible how much we can unravel about our Earth by simply listening to the whispers of earthquakes.”

(With inputs from agencies)