During the expansion of the ocean, some underwater formations are generated. As we saw in another post about the mid-ocean ridges, are underwater mountain ranges. In this case we are going to talk about the guyots. These geological formations have been explained thanks to the theory of oceanic expansion.
Do you want to know what guyots are and what is the geological process by which they are formed?
Definition of guyots
On the seabed, there are numerous geological formations formed over the years. We must remember that these formations have their geological time. That is, it's not enough for decades or centuries to pass, but millions of years. When scientists began investigating the seabed, they discovered some rather curious formations. These are guyots. They are seamounts whose roof is flat. This exotic formation appears on all ocean floors.
Scientists have been trying to explain the formation of the guyots and their flattened roof. They have concluded that, over the years, the force of ocean currents has flattened them. Erosion also occurs within the seas and oceans. It is not the same type of erosion that occurs on the Earth's surface, in rivers and lakes, but it occurs over time. To better understand this process, it is interesting to know how the guyots form. oceanic crust.
Guyots have volcanic origin and have been seen at depths of up to 4000 meters.
Harry hammond hess
The explanation that reveals the formation of these seamounts was given by scientist Harry Hammond Hess. This scientist is known as one of the founding fathers of the theory of plate tectonics. The entire theory of the expansion of the ocean floor is due to this scientist. He was born in May 1906 and managed to explain the relationship between the island arches, the gravitational anomalies of the seabed, and the serpentine peridotite, and the suggestion that the convection of the earth's mantle was the driving force behind this process.
By the XNUMXs he had obtained numerous records on the seabed. With so much material to study, he was able to systematically reveal a series of recognizable patterns that could be assimilated to the stripes of a zebra. It was the magnetic arrangement of the rocks as a function of the Earth's magnetic field. As this magnetic field is altering, he was able to see how some rocks were arranged in opposite directions to those of another band. This led him to think that the ocean was expanding.
Thanks to these achievements by Hess, the theory of plate tectonics was later constructed in 1968, an important development in understanding the and other marine geological structures.
How is it formed?
Hess gave the explanation to the formation of the guyots. Its existence is due to the activity of the volcanoes that are in the oceanic ridge. When the volcano is active for a time, leaves materials large enough to form a guyot.
The oceanic floor expands and leaves these formations as the volcano is still active and moves away from the axis of the ridge. When the volcano moves away from the ridge, the volcanic activity ends and it cools down. The dough thickens and sinks. The guyot sinks with the rest of the materials, but goes through areas where the action of the waves and the sea currents erode its summit and leave the platform flat. PThey can be found up to 4000 meters deep.
Guyots hypothesis
The hypothesis of the formation of the guyots could be verified. This is because the remains of benthic animal fossils that live in the depths were found. Were found Guyots in the Afar Triangle, which have been under the sea, at some point have been submerged.
As the rate of accretion of the crust on the ridges is not constant, there are important variations. There are guyots with different lengths and their own plane of the axis of rotation. The corners of the guyots grow less than the rest.
Variations of these formations can be found on one side and the other of the ridge. For example, the African plate grows 1,3 cm per year, while the North American only 0,8 cm. This causes the guyots that form on the different plates to take on different structures. What they all have in common is the roof flattened by the erosive action of the ocean.
If the roof of the volcano remains exposed to the erosive action of waves for a longer period of time, it will gradually take on a different shape than if it remains there for a shorter period. This time depends on the speed at which the continental plate where the guyot forms moves. We could say that they are inactive, eroded, and old volcanoes that remain as small "monuments" of the ocean. Furthermore, they provide a wealth of information about the age of rocks and the composition and structure of the ocean millions of years ago.
Guyot Yantarnaya
The Yantarnaya guyot is also known by the name of guyot Amber in English translation. It is one of the largest of all the seabed. It is located in the Pacific Ocean and belongs to the Sala y Gómez Submarine Range. Its approximate location is about 150 km west of the Zasosov Seamount.
Its discovery was achieved with some other geological features that make up the relief of the Sala y Gómez mountain range. It was discovered by a fisheries and oceanographic investigation of the Soviet Union. This group of scientists made several expeditions to the specific area until the 18th cruise ship of the scientific ship Professor Shtokman discovered the guyot Yantarnaya between the months of March and June 1987.
We can also find Anakena Seamount. It is a prominent feature of the Pacific Ocean seafloor, located near the East Pacific Ridge, within an area also known as the Rano Rahi Seamount Field.
Just as there are more famous mountains in the relief of the earth's surface, there are also in the marine field. With this information you will be able to better understand everything related to guyots and their training.