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00:04 Our understanding of our own planet
00:05 is still changing with a relatively new theory
00:08 about how plate tectonics work.
00:09 Researchers are now looking at evidence
00:11 to sort of redefine oceanic plates, especially
00:14 with regards to how they're changing in unexpected areas.
00:17 For a long time, it was believed that oceanic plateaus
00:19 were reinforced areas of our planet's plates,
00:22 especially since they are usually
00:23 located far from where plate tectonics meet.
00:26 However, new evidence finding ruptures and fissures
00:28 in these areas paints a much different picture,
00:30 with the study's lead author saying about it, quote,
00:33 "We knew that geological deformations like faults
00:35 happen on the continental plate interiors,
00:37 far from plate boundaries.
00:39 But we didn't know the same thing
00:40 was happening to ocean plates," with the researchers noting
00:43 that plateaus are actually weak points,
00:45 despite being thicker areas of the crust.
00:47 This research looks specifically at plateaus in the Pacific.
00:50 However, they say more evidence should be collected
00:52 in the Atlantic as well.
00:53 The floor of our planet's oceans are still
00:55 very much a mystery, areas that are largely
00:57 inaccessible to humans even to this day.
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