© Evan Smith/ GIA
Imperfections such as the inclusions (dark flecks) in this diamond reveal that tectonic slabs can carry water deep into Earth's mantle.
Imperfections such as the inclusions (dark flecks) in this diamond reveal that tectonic slabs can carry water deep into Earth's mantle.
Earthquakes typically occur when the two sides of a fault, or the opposite sides of a tectonic plate boundary, scrape past each other. But far beneath our planet's surface, the pressures are too high for such slippage, and rocks are typically so hot they ooze and flow rather than break. That has led geophysicists to come up with alternate explanations for deep seismic activity, which can be very strong but largely too far away for us to feel.
One idea is that some minerals, under the extreme heat and pressure deep within our planet, can suddenly lose volume, with the runaway collapse over large distances causing strong quakes. A second notion is that once a quake gets going — because of the sudden collapse of minerals or another cause — rocks near the tip of the rupture heat up even further and weaken, fueling the quake. A third cause might be water released from rocks deep below Earth's surface, which could weaken other rocks nearby, allowing them to fracture more easily. Researchers have largely dismissed that explanation, however, because it wasn't clear where such water would come from.
Comment: It appears that researchers have gone through a great deal of time, effort and money to prove the human immune system is capable of handling the majority of infectious viruses. Well done. [/sarcasm] The original standard of care was to isolate and treat the sick, not the healthy. Why has this suddenly changed?
But the real danger comes from directly interfering with the function of that immune system, which is what the mRNA vaccine is DESIGNED to do.