In it, the researchers detail how the hidden layer of soft rock is located at the bottom of the asthenosphere, the Earth’s upper mantle. Details about this area of the Earth have long been a ...

Another contributing factor involves the lithosphere, the rigid outer layer of Earth's mantle that "floats" on the softer asthenosphere. A phenomenon known as the African Superplume-a massive ...

Alternatively, as shown in the diagram, convection currents under the Earth’s crust transfer heat, which rises through the surface and cools back down in a circular motion. The convection ...