Scientists Just Discovered a Molten Layer Below Earth's Surface

• Scientists found a molten layer about 100 miles under Earth’s surface.

• They believe this is a new layer of Earth’s interior found globally.

• The discovery could help determine how tectonic plates move.

Scientists have found Hell on Earth. Well, more accurately: Hell in Earth.
In a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers from the University of Texas detected a layer of molten rock hidden under Earth’s tectonic plates, about 100 miles from the surface and exceeding 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the past, scientists believed molten melt existed in patches, but the new findings reveal the global extent of the molten layer and its relationship to plate tectonics. The layer is part of the asthenosphere, which sits under Earth’s tectonic plates in the upper mantle and gives needed topography, forming a relatively soft boundary that lets plates move through the mantle. Without the softness, Earth’s upper layers would be too rigid for tectonic plate movement.
Scientists Just Discovered a Molten Layer Below Earth's Surface