Overview
- Peer-reviewed work in Geophysical Research Letters reports an unexpected structure between the crust and mantle beneath the island that is about 20 kilometers thick.
- The team analyzed seismic echoes captured at Bermuda’s lone permanent station to map subsurface layers and identify the feature.
- The layer is interpreted as cooled magma that is slightly less dense than surrounding mantle, providing buoyancy that supports the bathymetric swell.
- The findings align with the absence of a present hot mantle plume or recent volcanic activity, which standard hotspot models would predict.
- Authors cite the result as a testable hypothesis and propose broader seismic surveys at Bermuda and other island swells to confirm the structure and assess its wider relevance.