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| Giant Sand Structures Found Under North Sea Could Be Game-Changer for Energy and CO₂ Storage. |
So, scientists from the University of Manchester just stumbled upon something totally unexpected under the North Sea — we’re talking about massive sand formations hiding beneath the seafloor, and apparently, they go against the basic rules of geology we’ve always known.
They used super high-res 3D seismic imaging and combined it with rock samples from hundreds of drilling sites. What they found were giant sand mounds, stretching several kilometers wide. But here’s the weird part — these structures actually sank down through older, softer layers of earth, pushing them up in the process. Which is totally backwards from how things are supposed to work.
In normal geology, the newer stuff sits on top of the older stuff. Easy, right? But in this case, it’s the other way around — the younger layers somehow ended up underneath the older ones. Scientists call this rare flip “stratigraphic inversion,” and the massive sand formations that formed from it are now being called “sunkites.” Yeah, sounds sci-fi, but it’s real.
These sunkites are the largest example of this upside-down layering ever seen. And now, geologists are questioning everything — like, do we even fully understand how the Earth’s crust moves and changes over time?
Experts believe these massive sand blobs were formed millions of years ago, way back during the Late Miocene to Pliocene period. Some kind of underground pressure change or earthquake probably made the sand act like liquid and squeeze up through cracks in the seafloor, which then flipped the layers around.
What’s even cooler? This discovery could actually be super useful in the real world. These sunkite structures might be perfect for storing clean energy or even capturing carbon dioxide underground. They offer a natural, stable place to store stuff like hydrogen or CO₂ without worrying so much about it leaking out. Not to mention, it could help us find new oil and gas spots more accurately.
This find is a huge deal — not just for geologists, but for anyone thinking about climate change and future energy solutions. Turns out, the Earth still has some pretty wild secrets hidden below the surface. And who knows? This might be one of those rare cases where science, climate tech, and nature all come together to give us a shot at a cleaner future.