According to scientists from the California Institute of Technology and Swiss research university ETH Zurich, a new method for analyzing the Earth’s mantle — the layer below the crust and above the molten core — has revealed strange characteristics of tectonic plates below bodies of water and within the interior of continents.

Mystery Structures Present Under the Pacific Ocean Baffle Scientists, Unsure What These Are Made up Of Researchers have continued to study what lies beneath the Earth's crust for a long time. They have made some fascinating discoveries after examining the lower portion of the planet's mantle under the Pacific Ocean.

Unexpected mantle structures hint at ancient or unknown materials, challenging current tectonic theories and prompting deeper research. No one can see inside the Earth or drill deep enough to collect rock samples from the mantle—the layer between Earth’s core and its outermost rigid layer,