Upsurge of matter from deep beneath Earth’s crust pushing Europe and America further apart, research suggests

The continents drifting roughly 4cm further apart each year, as experts tell Joe Middleton

The research team deploys a seismometer to the bottom of the Atlantic (University of Southampton)

An upsurge of matter from  deep beneath the Earth's crust is pushing America and Europe further apart by about four centimetres every year, new research has found.

UK experts studied the seismic activity in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), a mountain range under the ocean and dividing line between the tectonic plates moving to the west and those moving to the east.

Using 39 seismometers - an instrument that measures ground movement - deployed at the bottom of the Atlantic the researchers found evidence of upwelling in the mantle - the material between the Earth's crust and its core- from depths of more than 600 kilometres.

 This process is pushing the plates from below, causing the continents of North and South America to move further apart from Europe and Africa.

This is one of only a few experiments of this scale ever conducted in the oceans and allowed the team from the University of Southampton to obtain high-resolution imaging of the MAR at depths of 410 km and 660 km.

Lead author, Matthew Agius, a former post-doctoral fellow at the University of Southampton and currently at Università degli studi Roma Tre said: "This was a memorable mission that took us a total of 10 weeks at sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. 

"The incredible results shed new light in our understanding of how the Earth interior is connected with plate tectonics, with observations not seen before."

The findings, published in the journal Nature, provide a greater understanding of plate tectonics which causes many natural disasters around the world, such as earthquakes or tsunamis. 

The research will help scientists develop better models and warning systems for natural disasters and help with climate change modelling.

The voyage was not without its hiccups, Dr Kate Rychert, told The Independent : “There were some logistical challenges, for example there had been some pirates in the area and that required a lot of investigation and then we had some pirate training and there were adaptations to the ship.

“There was also a storm at one point and a military grade cargo plane had to come out and deliver us equipment."

The vessel was equipped with large fire hoses that could be used to deter unwelcome people coming onboard the ship and the researchers were given training on what to do in an emergency situation.

Despite a few challenges, including virtually no internet while out at sea for so long, Dr Agius said it was a “great experience” and Dr Rychert described it was “amazing.”

The experiment was funded by NERC (Natural Environment Research Council, UK) and the ERC (European Research Council). The trip was led by Dr Rychert, Dr Harmon and Professor Mike Kendall.

On the findings from the trip Dr Nick Harmon from the University of Southampton said: "There is a growing distance between North America and Europe, and it is not driven by political or philosophical differences - it is caused by mantle convection!"

And Dr Rychert added: "This was completely unexpected. It has broad implications for our understanding of Earth's evolution and habitability. It also demonstrates how crucial it is to gather new data from the oceans. There is so much more to explore!"