Summary:
- Researchers have discovered a "ghost plume" - a column of hot rock rising from deep within the Earth's mantle - beneath the Middle East. This plume may have played a role in the movement of the Indian subcontinent over millions of years.
- The ghost plume is located under the Arabian Peninsula and is believed to have been active for at least 50 million years, helping to push and shape the Indian plate as it moved northward and collided with the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas.
- This finding provides new insights into the complex geological processes that have shaped the Earth's surface over geological timescales, and helps explain the unique geography and tectonic history of the Middle East and surrounding regions.