Scientists Capture Birth of Oceanic Crust in Deep-sea Study
WHO:
Phys.org - Scientists from the French National Center of Scientific Research, including marine geophysicist Jean-Yves Royer.
ScienceAlert - Jean-Yves Royer, marine geophysicist, and his research team.
WHAT:
ScienceAlert - The observations provide insight into how new oceanic crust is created, marking the first time scientists have recorded the process of seafloor spreading in action.
ScienceAlert - The event was described as a "once-in-forty-year event" by marine geophysicist Jean-Yves Royer.
ScienceAlert - The horizontal displacements measured during the event were between 2 to 4 meters, equivalent to 30 to 60 years of continuous spreading at a rate of 6.3 centimeters per year.
ScienceAlert - The researchers found that most of the event's movement occurred aseismically, meaning it happened silently without generating strong seismic waves.
Phys.org - Scientists presented the first-known direct observations of a seafloor spreading event at a mid-ocean ridge.
ScienceAlert - The event involved the injection of an estimated 150 million cubic meters (5.3 billion cubic feet) of magma into the crust.
ScienceAlert - The seafloor collapsed by 4.2 meters (13.8 feet) during the event.
ScienceAlert - The ridge was pulling apart at 5 centimeters every minute at its peak.
WHERE:
Phys.org - The observations were made at a mid-ocean ridge in the Indian Ocean, specifically near Amsterdam Island.
ScienceAlert - The Southeast Indian Ridge between Australia and Antarctica.
WHEN:
ScienceAlert - The Observatory was deployed in late February 2024.
ScienceAlert - The seafloor split open in April 2024.
ScienceAlert - The observations were published in Nature.
WHY:
ScienceAlert - The goal was to capture one of the rare, violent episodes in which new seafloor is born.
HOW:
Nature - The hydroacoustic array consisted of five autonomous hydrophones that continuously recorded sounds in the 1–125-Hz frequency band, including acoustic waves generated by seismic events and hot lava-seawater interactions.
ScienceAlert - The team built an underwater observatory consisting of five autonomous hydrophones to monitor the volcanic plateau.
ScienceAlert - The event was described as a "quantum" event, where tectonic tension builds over decades before being released in bursts.
(UPDATED July 9, 2026 01:30 UTC)
Scientists have made a groundbreaking observation of seafloor spreading, marking the first time this process has been recorded in action, which marine geophysicist Jean-Yves Royer described as a "once-in-forty-year event." The horizontal displacements measured during this event ranged from 2 to 4 meters, equivalent to 30 to 60 years of continuous spreading at a rate of 6.3 centimeters per year, with most of the movement occurring aseismically, meaning it happened silently without generating strong seismic waves. This remarkable study utilized a hydroacoustic array of five autonomous hydrophones that continuously recorded sounds in the 1 to 125-Hz frequency band, capturing acoustic waves from seismic events and interactions between hot lava and seawater.
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(UPDATED July 8, 2026 23:21 UTC)
Scientists from the French National Center of Scientific Research, led by marine geophysicist Jean-Yves Royer, have made groundbreaking observations of a seafloor spreading event at a mid-ocean ridge in the Indian Ocean, near Amsterdam Island. This remarkable event, which occurred in April 2024, involved the injection of an estimated 150 million cubic meters of magma into the crust, causing the seafloor to collapse by 4.2 meters while the ridge was pulling apart at a rate of 5 centimeters per minute. The research team deployed an underwater observatory in late February 2024, using five autonomous hydrophones to capture this rare phenomenon where tectonic tension, built over decades, is released in dramatic bursts.