Beneath the Apennines, in Italy, the Earth's crust is separating, in a process that scientists compare to the functioning of a zipper or an accordion. The conclusion was reached by a team led by Stefano Tavani, researcher at the University of Florence, who gathered and analyzed decades of seismic data, GPS measurements, satellite radar observations and maps of the deep structures of the Earth's crust.
The researchers concluded that the Apennines are undergoing a process known as delamination. This phenomenon involves the separation and sinking of the lower, denser part of the Earth's crust and the underlying lithosphere, causing the progressive opening of the crust in the region. The article, published on the Science Alert platform, does not present complete information about the consequences or implications of this phenomenon, but the research was based on an extensive collection of geological and geophysical data to support these conclusions.
