In the summer of 2015, Samantha Hansen set foot in the snow-white terrain of Antarctica along with her team of researchers from the University of Arizona and the University of Alabama. They were carrying spades and shovels to scoop out snow from the field and do their task. Their goal was to set up and install seismology stations. Using these stations, the researchers identified a mysterious range of underground mountains sandwiched between Earth’s mantle and core. According to their study, these mountains are five times taller than Mount Everest in some places. Findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Hugo Sykes
“Analyzing thousands of seismic recordings from Antarctica, our high-definition imaging method found thin anomalous zones of material at the CMB (cosmic microwave background) everywhere we probed,” said Dr. Edward Garnero, co-author of the study, in a university press release. “The material’s thickness varies from a few kilometers to 10’s of kilometers. This suggests we are seeing mountains on the core, in some places up to 5 times taller than Mt. Everest.” Along with Hansen and Garnero, the co-authors of the paper included Mingming Li and Sang-Heon Shim from Arizona State University and Dr. Sebastian Rost from the University of Leeds. Through global-scale seismic imaging, they unfolded these colossal mountains hidden deep beneath the Earth’s surface.
Deep inside the Earth’s surface, the boundary between its core and mantle has been an environment of curiosity for geologists worldwide. According to Insider, about 2,000 miles under the Earth's surface, temperatures soar drastically, and the material changes from solid rock in the mantle to a “gooey iron sludge” inside the core. Geologists study seismic waves spreading from the epicenter of an earthquake to the inside of a planet, to understand what lurks and happens in the planet’s innards. "Admittedly, to most people, seismic data is probably not that interesting to look at. It is a wiggly line that varies with time. But that wiggly line contains an amazing amount of information!" Hansen told Insider.
Representative Image Source: Sectional view of the Earth, showing central fire and underground canals linked to oceans, 1665. From Mundus Subterraneous by Athanasius Kircher. (Photo by Oxford Science Archive/Print Collector/Getty Images)
This particular study suggested that there was a layer of “ancient ocean floor” squished between the core-mantle boundary. It was subducted long ago as tectonic plates shifted. They called this region the “ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZ).” This zone was denser than the rest of the mantle. Scientists found this ancient ocean floor by scanning the seismic waves reverberating through it, just the way a body is examined through an X-ray or medical scan. “Seismic investigations, such as ours, provide the highest resolution imaging of the interior structure of our planet, and we are finding that this structure is vastly more complicated than once thought,” Hansen said in the press release. “Our research provides important connections between shallow and deep Earth structure and the overall processes driving our planet.”
Representative Image Source: Pexels | NASA
Using a system of sound wave echoes from the core-mantle boundary, Hansen and her team identified unusual spurts of energy within several seconds of examination. Mapping these signals, they compared the layer of this “pencil-thin” material to the thickness of Earth’s layers, which led them to find ULVZ. The ULVZ or mountains they found ranged from less than about 3 miles to more than 25 miles. As per the press release, the discovery of these underground mountains can provide a potential explanation of how heat escapes from the magnetized core. Also, further study of these ancient ocean floor materials could provide insights into how volcanic eruptions happen when the mantle plumes or hot spots travel back to the surface.
This article originally appeared last year.
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Representative Image Source: Painting from a series by Ernest Untermann in the museum at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.