A recently published study has revealed a little-known tectonic process unfolding beneath Turkey’s Central Anatolian Plateau, where part of the Earth’s crust is “dripping” deep into the planet’s interior. This rare phenomenon, known as lithospheric dripping, adds a new layer of complexity to the way scientists understand plate tectonics—not only on Earth but potentially across other planetary bodies.
A Geological Oddity Beneath The Konya Basin
The study, published in Nature Communications, centers on the Konya Basin, a topographic depression located in central Turkey. Using satellite and seismic data, scientists observed a “circular feature” where the crust appears to be sinking. Beneath the basin, they found a seismic anomaly and a thickened crust—strong evidence of dense material accumulating in the upper mantle.
Lead author Julia Andersen, a geophysicist at the University of Toronto, explained that this anomaly pointed to “a likely mantle lithospheric drip.” Essentially, the heavy lower crust has begun to ooze downward like a viscous substance, forming a slow-moving, honey-like blob that pulls the surface down with it. Once this molten blob detaches, the crust rebounds, causing the land above to bulge upward.
Slow-motion Collapse Reshaping Turkey’s Crust
The Central Anatolian Plateau has been slowly rising for millions of years, gaining around one kilometer in elevation over the last 10 million years. But intriguingly, while the broader region continues to lift, the Konya Basin is behaving differently—it is sinking at about 20 millimeters per year. This contrast led researchers to conclude that a secondary lithospheric drip is occurring in the basin, independent from the earlier uplift event.
According to Russell Pysklywec, also of the University of Toronto, the original drip likely triggered “subsequent daughter events” elsewhere in the region. He described how “as the lithosphere thickened and dripped below the region, it formed a basin at the surface that later sprang up when the weight below broke off and sank into the deeper depths of the mantle.” This process seems to be repeating, now forming a smaller secondary drip under Konya.
Lab Experiments Simulate Earth’s Crust In Action
To verify their findings, the research team recreated the dripping process in a controlled laboratory environment. Using polydimethylsiloxane, a sticky silicone polymer, they replicated the gooey consistency of the Earth’s lower mantle. The upper mantle was modeled using a mixture of the same polymer and clay, while a blend of ceramic spheres and silica sand formed the simulated crust.
They introduced a dense seed into the upper mantle layer to initiate the drip. Within ten hours, a viscous droplet had formed and started falling. Roughly 50 hours into the experiment, a secondary drip developed. The researchers noticed that even without any horizontal movement, this secondary drip still managed to “pull the crust downward and started to create a basin.” It provided clear evidence that these processes can occur in vertical isolation, deep beneath the surface.
Unlocking Clues To Planetary Geology
The findings don’t just impact our understanding of Earth. The researchers see parallels in other geological formations—most notably the Arizaro Basin in the Andes Mountains of South America. Similar mechanisms may have contributed to its formation, suggesting that lithospheric dripping is not unique to Turkey.
More broadly, the study opens the door to examining similar geological activity on other planets like Mars and Venus, where surface tectonics differ, but underlying mantle dynamics are believed to be comparable.
