Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Credit: NPS/Carl Bowman
A massive portion of Earth's crust has long been missing, leaving scientists puzzled—until now, with a new discovery pinpointing its potential location.
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Named "The Great Unconformity," this puzzling geological gap has baffled experts for over a century as they searched for answers.
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New evidence points to "Snowball Earth," a time when glaciers covered most of the planet, as the force behind this monumental erosion.
This intense glaciation created sharp age gaps in the sedimentary record, where older rocks vanished, replaced by younger formations.
First observed in 1869 at the Grand Canyon, this phenomenon was seen worldwide, earning the title, "The Great Unconformity."
Credit: NPS
According to Dr. Brenhin Keller of the Berkeley Geochronology Center, 3-5 kilometers of rock were stripped globally due to glacial forces.
Dr. Keller estimates over a billion cubic kilometers of ancient rock went “missing” from pre-Cambrian layers, a staggering geological gap.
Credit: NPS/Carl Bowman
Crystals from the Phanerozoic era contain isotopes of hafnium and oxygen, indicating erosion from older rock at icy, low temperatures.
The prevailing theory suggests glaciers eroded the rocks and swept them into the sea, hiding Earth's missing crust beneath ocean waves.