Huge hole in the earths atlantic crust

Now that is food for thought? I suppose we sould need some sort of sensible aging of when it happened. How long does Serpentine take to form? Anyone got any ideas.

Serpentinite:

Serpentinization is a geological low-temperature and metamorphic process involving heat and water in which low-silica mafic and ultramafic rocks are oxidized and hydrolyzed with water into serpentinite. Peridotite, including dunite, at and near the seafloor and in mountain belts is converted to serpentine, brucite, magnetite, and other minerals -- some rare, such as awaruite (Ni3Fe), and even native iron. In the process large amounts of water are absorbed into the rock increasing the volume and destroying the structure.

The density changes from 3.3 to 2.7 g/cm3 with a concurrent volume increase of about 40%. The reaction is exothermic and large amounts of heat energy are produced in the process.

Rock temperatures can be raised by about 260 oC, providing an energy source for formation of non-volcanic hydrothermal vents. The magnetite-forming chemical reactions produce hydrogen gas. Sulfates and carbonates are reduced and form methane and hydrogen sulfide. The hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide provide energy sources for deep sea chemotroph microorganisms.

Wiki

Doesn't say how long it takes to form though, interesting that it occurs in high pressures yet it expands.

I suppose the other way of looking at this is that the crust just never formed there in the first place? However, if it is a case of a big section of crust displacing and sinking then surely the after effect of such an event would have been enormous... it's a shame we can't date this in anyway then we could start cross referenceing with historical events, legends and myths.

Systems are down at workm today so I will try a little investigation.

Q

I was reading the newspaper one morning and they mentioned that a crew was set out on the 6th of march for an expidition. The crews mission was to initiate drilling to get samples of the rock sediment from the surfaced mantel to test for age and such, so I do believe they are of the same mindset as us and want to know when it happend and possibly how.

Originally posted by watch_the_rocks
Would the water boil? Or is the pressure down there too great to allow that?

The Pressure is too high to allow the Water to change state to a gas from liquid.

In addition the "heat sink" ability of the surrounding ocean is absolutely immense! and the water is very cold there too.

I am not sure exactly what depth it would have to be to allow the water to change state, however I would say even a couple of hundred feet, with the pressure and conductivity of heat within water, would keep it liquid. Though obviously it depends on the size of the heat source and heat generated, maybe at such low depths it would Bubble or boil off before it hit the surface depending on the surrounding oceans temps and movement, i.e currents taking away the heat energy from that initial source.

The principle is well observed with the fairly recently discovered and amazing Hydrothermal Vents:






Where the water above raising from under the ocean floor and is Superheated to Hundreds of degrees C, after contact with the magma, is in the liquid state due to as described above.

Nygdan has shown the rest of the interesting stuff generally.

This process, the spreading and rift mechanic's has now been observed happening very quickly on the earth surface.

Where we can measure, monitor and see it better. A new Ocean is being created NOW as we read type in Ethiopia:

Scientists say they have witnessed the possible birth of a future ocean basin growing in north-eastern Ethiopia.

The team watched an 8m rift develop in the ground in just three weeks in the Afar desert region last September.

It is one small step in a long-term split that is tearing the east of the country from the rest of Africa and should eventually create a huge sea.

The UK-Ethiopian group says it was astonished at the speed with which the 60km-long fissure system developed.

BBC





In a few million years or more Whales, if they still exist?? may be swimming over that! and it could be thousands of metres deep under water!, one of the Driest places on earth now hardly any rainfall, and ocean then...

Creation wonderful eh?

Though this particular event of the OP seems a bit strange! And much indeed is still to be learnt and understood about Plate Techtonics.

Kind Regards,

Elf.