Overview
- William Frazer of Carnegie Science and Jeffrey Park of Yale report the finding in Geophysical Research Letters, identifying a previously unreported layer beneath the oceanic crust.
- Stacked signals from 396 earthquakes recorded on Bermuda imaged a roughly 12.4‑mile‑thick structure that imparts buoyancy consistent with the archipelago’s long‑lived bathymetric swell.
- The team interprets the layer as material emplaced during volcanism about 30–35 million years ago, offering a plume‑free explanation for why the seafloor there remains elevated.
- Seismic velocities indicate only a small density contrast, and the authors note alternatives such as metasomatic alteration as possibilities that require further testing.
- Researchers say broader surveys are planned to assess whether similar underplating exists elsewhere, as media coverage has also prompted a wave of online conspiracy claims the scientists reject as unfounded.