Colombo, Sep. 22 (Daily Mirror) - A huge ancient rock structure has been found deep beneath Sri Lanka, giving scientists new clues about the island’s geological history more than 500 million years ago.
The research has been conducted by Gaoshan Guo of the Paris Institute of Earth Physics, Haiqiang Lan of the State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lei Zhao of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Sanjeewa P. K. Malaviarachchi of the University of Peradeniya.
Researchers analysed data from 33 seismic stations and identified a steep rock structure about 100 to 200 kilometres beneath central Sri Lanka.
They believe the structure is a remnant of an ancient oceanic plate that was pushed deep into the Earth during a process known as subduction.
They also found a low-velocity zone above the structure, which may be the remains of rocks formed during this ancient process.
The findings suggest that an ancient oceanic plate was pushed westward beneath the region before different landmasses collided and joined together.
Furthermore, these events were part of the formation of Gondwana, a huge ancient supercontinent that existed hundreds of millions of years ago and brought together landmasses that later became Africa, South America, India, Antarctica, Australia and other regions.
Researchers believe the ancient slab later broke away during the collision but remained preserved deep beneath Sri Lanka.
The discovery provides new evidence about ancient movements of the Earth’s tectonic plates and could help scientists better understand how Sri Lanka became part of Gondwana.
S Thambiah Tuesday, 22 September 2026 08:34 AM
Oh la laa, we are now between a rock and a hard place
sss Tuesday, 22 September 2026 11:34 AM
Any petroleum from the pre dinosaur vegetation and marine life?
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